


Dust Queen

by xxwhiterose



Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, Angst, Canon Divergence, Dust Queen AU, Emotional Trauma, F/F, F/M, Human Experimentation in early chapters, Injury Recovery, Kissing, Platonic Ladybug, Platonic Monochrome/Checkmate, Post-Volume 2, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee-centric, Slow Burn, White Fang are a lot rougher, Whiterose, soft, suggestive scenes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:21:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 64,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24223450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxwhiterose/pseuds/xxwhiterose
Summary: After an attack led by Roman Torchwick and the White Fang interrupts Weiss and Ruby's date, Weiss is left with scars that will impact her for the rest of her life. Team RWBY tries to help their traumatised teammate recover, but things turn out to be a lot more difficult than they first assumed.Meanwhile, Ruby tries to fix the broken bond between her and her partner before it's too late.(Art posted on xx-whiterose.tumblr.com)
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 135
Kudos: 321





	1. In the Moment

Trees tumbled and crashed to the dry earth as they were roughly torn apart, spraying chunks of dried mud and crackled leaves into the air. A long, double-headed body slithered through the dense overgrowth, crushing anything in its path in a chorus of almighty crunches and snaps. Its half-white, half-black scaled body almost glowed in the glaring sun, some scales breaking off in its starved chase after its prey.   
  
“WOO-HOO!” Yang hollered, her hand grasping Blake’s tightly as she shot a rocket into the muzzle of the Alpha King Taijitu, the subsequent explosion booming out loud soon after the impact. The giant serpent recoiled and hissed as smoke and flames fell from it, fangs bared at the swinging targets in front of its snout. Yang smirked wide as Blake flung Gambol shroud through the air, using the ribbon as a makeshift slingshot.

“Eat that ya’ lousy snake!” Yang shouted with glee, shooting off another round of rockets from Ember Celica, accompanied by her euphoric giggle. The monster growled with all its might, shooting forward and striking the base of the tree that Blake had Gambol Shroud dug into and snapping the bark in half. 

“Uh-oh.”

The tree fell with a groan, the weapon attached to it bringing Blake and Yang down with it. 

“Brace!”

The partners hit the ground with a heavy thud, the air knocked out of their lungs as their aura strained. Blake recovered from the dive quickly, scrambling to her hands and feet with precise movements. She whipped the ribbon in her hand, the blackened steel blade flying through the air and finding its home back in her grip. 

“Ow.” Yang groaned, rubbing the bump on the back of her head as she stood, pulling twigs out of her hair as she returned to Blake’s side, “Man, I’m gonna be pulling leaves out of my hair all night!”

“Focus Yang,” Blake said steadily, tensing her muscles as the first head of the monster appeared. 

A loud hissing filled the clearing, the head peering over the fallen oak. White scales reflected the midday sun, red eyes glaring down at them. Burns marred its face, adding to the scuffed scars running along its neck, proving just how long this Grimm had lived. It stood, poised with practiced talent, waiting to strike its prey.

“Where’s yer’ twin, ugly?” Yang asked the serpent, glancing around for the other half. As if on cue, the black half revealed itself, tongue flickering between its long fangs. It rose steadily behind them, Blake turning to face it. Yang looked between the two, clicking Ember Celica with uncertainty. 

There was a moment of silence, all four pairs of eyes glaring at their targets. A bird could be heard, chirping innocently in the distance, a moment of calm before the storm. 

The King Taijitu moved first, both heads snapping forward in its attempt to snack on the huntresses. The two girls launched into the air, watching as the serpent heads crashed into each other. Yang laughed, grabbing Blake’s outstretched bow and tugging it over her shoulder. Blake swung in a tight circle, flying through the air and landing on the back of the black snake head, in a display of perfect balance. 

It reared back, forcing her to dig the sheath of her weapon into the creature’s skull as it swung its heavy head around to try and shake off its pesky offender. Blake narrowed her eyes, driving the blade in her hand through one of the beady red eyes beneath her.

The monster let out a strangled cry, contorting in pain. Blake took this opportunity to swing herself and her black ribbon around the maw of the beast before landing back on the top of its head. Pulling with all her strength, she managed to securely shut the Grimm’s jaw, leaving just enough space for its tongue to loll out.

Meanwhile, Yang found herself keeping the white snake head’s jaws open, unloading rounds of fire into the back of its throat. “Eat. This. You. Giant. Pain. In. The. Ass!”

A choked, angry hiss erupted from the back of the snake’s throat as it reared its head back so high, it was looking straight at the sky. Yang’s grip faltered, her eyes widening at the realization she was about to slip into the jaws of the Grimm. 

“You want to eat me? Alright, but I’m warning ya, I’M HOT AND SPICY-” Yang roared, moving her hand to one of its fangs to steady herself before taking off and jumping straight into the bottomless, dark esophagus of the slithering creature. The King Taijitu snapped its mouth shut immediately, cutting Yang off from the outside world with a growl.

Blake looked up as the white snake head inched closer, angry, red eyes boring holes into her. The faunus scanned around briefly for Yang, unable to spot her rambunctious partner. Concern pooled in the pit of her stomach.

“Yang?!” She called out, quickly running out of time, as the head beneath her boots flicked roughly, taking advantage of the distraction. Blake stumbled, her grip on the ribboned half of Gambol Shroud completely lost.

The muzzle came loose, the black head whipping around instantly to try and bite the feline in an attempt to envenomate her. Blake squeaked, activating her semblance in combination with the Dust she was carrying. A stone copy of her form appeared seemingly out of thin air; she used the momentum to push herself away from the angry reptile. 

Landing on the grass with a soft thud, Blake watched as the black Taijitu tore her rock form into chunks. Her stone head fell to the ground in front of her, cracking in half on the grass. Blake looked up to see both heads staring down at her, poised and ready to strike. She took on their unspoken challenge and steeled herself, hands gripped tightly on the sheath of Gambol Shroud. That’s when she noticed the white head’s mouth oozing smoke.

“Oh, that’s where you went.”   
  
*   
  
Yang grunted as she dug her fingers into whatever purchase she could get, nails digging into slimy flesh down the Taijitu’s throat. She hadn’t intended to go this far deep- Yang hadn’t expected its fangs to fold back when its jaw snapped closed, causing her to lose her grip. She had managed to get a grip on something on the way down, digging her fingers into slime for dear life.

Yang grunted as she struggled to climb higher, using her shotgun shots to propel herself upwards, before clawing to get a grip again. She felt the Taijitu move, its neck becoming levelled for a moment. The walls around Yang closed in tighter, practically squishing the blonde between them. Her face pressed into the mucus lining of its throat, earning a disgusted “Eugh!” from inside.

“Time to get out of here-” Yang said to no-one in particular, reloading her gauntlets with a dull click. She smirked, letting loose in the beast’s neck. Rockets and shotgun pellets flew from her wrists, exploding in the pit of its stomach. Black smoke began to rise from the darkness below, a heavy stink following it. Yang gagged, holding her breath.

The white head began to heave, the walls around the blonde contracting tightly. Yang felt panic pull lightly at her stomach, reaching her hand up as far as it could go and grabbing. Her fist tightened around the base of the tongue, squeezing it tightly. The Grimm hissed, its throat lifting the pressure and giving Yang a moment to escape. 

Her eyes turned crimson, her hair crackling to life in a ball of flame, and suddenly she was rocketing out of the monster's maw like a cannonball. She landed on the ground with a thud, almost getting a perfect superhero landing if it wasn’t for the slime on her body. She landed on her back with a hollow cough, her flames extinguishing.

“Eww! Now I’m completely covered in snake goo!” she protested, kicking herself off the ground. 

Blake stood not too far away, staring at her partner in mild disbelief.

“What did you think was going to happen?”

“That’s the thing, Kit Kat!” The feline frowned at the pet name, “I  _ don’t  _ think!”

“Please don’t call me that.”

A loud, dangerous growl filled the air, pulling the bee pair’s attention back to the Grimm that was miraculously still alive despite Yang’s flamboyant exit. While the white half appeared severely weakened, its mouth hanging open loosely with a constant stream of sparking smoke drifting from it, the black half was beyond enraged. 

Its single eye glowed brightly, as did the red markings across the top of its head. Yang and Blake crossed glances for a minute. This was new.

In their moment of unawareness, the black side struck, its sleek head bolting through the air like black lightning. Blake reacted a second too late, golden eyes flashing wide in shock as she faced the throat of the King Taijitu.

A swift, icy, rose scented wind filled the clearing, a colossal chunk of ice seemingly appearing out of nowhere, smashing into the side of the serpent's head. It hissed painfully, rolling to the ground and lying there for a moment, before rising up again to glare at whatever had attacked it. 

It opened its mouth to hiss. However, a well-aimed sniper round hit one of its fangs instead, cracking it in half with a single shot. It fell to the ground, remaining there for a second before fading to black mist.

Yang and Blake both looked up to see the first half of the team standing nearby, weapons aimed towards the monster. Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out from the ground, eyes wide at the sight of the Grimm before them.

“It’s huge!” she gasped, swinging her scythe to her resting position behind her back. 

“Thanks for the save!” Yang bellowed over, throwing a thumbs up over to the other pair. Weiss rolled her eyes.

“You wouldn’t have needed saving if you weren’t too busy  _ flirting  _ with your partner!” she snapped.

“Same for you and Rubes, Princess!”

Weiss’ nostrils flared, already frustrated at the elder sibling. The lack of response only fueled the blonde’s fire, a loud chuckle coming from the opposite side of the field. Ruby blushed furiously at the comment, thanking the Gods that they were still sheltered beneath the shade of the oak trees. 

“You two can fight later,” Blake’s monotone voice broke the silence, “Our friend still isn’t finished.”

The snake lifted both its heads, the white half shifting its attention towards Ruby and Weiss, while the black half locked onto Blake and Yang, eager to finish off the job on the puny creatures that had almost killed its other half.

“Ruby, what’s the plan?!” Yang asked, hopping out of the way as the black head struck again, punching the side of its mouth with a sharp thwack that made Yang’s knuckles ache. She pulled her hand back, waving it around in the air to dispel the pain. 

Blake flipped over its head, grabbing the second half of Gambol shroud as she did so. It slid out of its now blind eye with a pained shriek, turning and aiming for Blake with another strike. Blake fazed out of the way again, the serpent crunching down on a fake clone again.

Ruby also jumped out of the way of the white head, shooting twice into the side of its face while Weiss used her glyphs to summon chunks of earth from her Dust and hit its weak spots.

“We need to separate the heads! Stretch it out as much as you can!” Ruby ordered, reaching for another round of ammo from her back pocket. 

Beside her, Weiss came to life, racing along a line of glyphs to get behind the white head. She moved smoothly, a dome of glyphs appearing around the viper as she planned her attack. She played strategies over and over in her mind, flipping out of the way of an attempted coil and onto an awaiting glyph.

She flew down, the tip of her rapier striking its scaled form. The snake hissed again, moving to try and catch the white blur around it. Instead, it only bit down on air as another strike slashed its eye. It snarled as the onslaught continued, jerking with each hit as its scales began to break.   
  


“Leave some for me!” Ruby hopped up, sliding under the serpent’s neck with the help of a glyph from Weiss. She hooked the blade of her weapon under the lip of the white head and shot a bullet, tearing it off with a swing. 

The now jawless half reared its head back with an agonized wheeze, smacking Ruby in the process. The leader yelped in surprise, crashing into Weiss on her way down. The two collided with a thump that sent them both to the ground. Weiss managed to crouch mid-air and land on her feet, unlike Ruby, who took a mouthful of dirt to the face.

“You need to be more aware of its movements,” she scolded, a hand landing on her hip as she turned to help the crimsonette up. Ruby dusted herself off, spitting the soil and grass from her mouth with a cackle.

“I know, I know– Sorry... W-Watch out!” Ruby bumped Weiss out of the way, knocking them both to the ground again as the black half shot towards where they had been standing just a second earlier.

“Get back here you!” Yang roared, hands beneath the lips of the reptile as she tried to pull its head back from on top. The black head swung around madly, smacking into a tree before continuing deeper into the woods.

Blake followed quickly behind as the black half tunneled into the forest with Yang on its head, stopping briefly to gaze at the heap Weiss and Ruby were in, before smirking knowingly and following swiftly.

“Owie- Are you okay Weiss?” Ruby asked, sitting up from Weiss’ chest, hands planted on either side of Weiss’ head. 

The Schnee beneath her groaned, sapphire eyes looking up and staring at Ruby in shock. Her hands were splayed out on either side of her, Myrtenaster having fallen during the scuffle. Her bangs shaded her face, her coat drifted back to expose her chest. She looked so helpless like this.

Ruby suddenly lost all the strength in her arms, gulping as a bright red flush burned her face, “U-uh.”

“W-Well?” Weiss hated herself for stuttering, glancing away as a gentle warmth began to form on her cheeks “Are you going to get off of me?”

“Yep! Yes- yeah getting off now,” Ruby stammered, clumsily scrambling back to stand back up. Weiss pulled herself from beneath the reaper, wishing that the stupid hot blush on her face would fade.

“To answer your earlier question, yes, I am fine. Thank you,” Weiss hummed, dusting off grass that stuck to her and pulling her coat back over her shoulders. Ruby nodded, standing oddly straight.

“Y-Yep! No problemo, partner!” Ruby chirped, flicking Crescent Rose back up from the dirt with her heel, “Now let’s go kick some Taijitu booty!”

A certain hissing answered Ruby’s comment, red eyes glaring at them as smoke rose from its throat and missing jaw. Suddenly tense and ready for action again, Ruby and Weiss shifted their footing, weapons raised towards the creature as they waited for it to move, and it did. 

The pair dived out of the way of the white snake as it lunged for them, glyphs shining beneath their boots as Weiss worked her semblance. The injured Grimm slammed head-first into the ground, too tired to stop itself fully after lunging for them. Its extended fangs got caught in the dirt, sinking deep into it up to its gums, jamming the serpent in place.    
  
Weiss, thinking quickly, spun the revolver in Myrtenaster, locking onto the ice cartridge, a blue glow reverberating along the cool blade. “Ruby! Ice Flower!”   
  
“Great idea, Weiss!” Ruby swung Crescent Rose forward and loaded a high caliber round. She watched in awe as the glyphs formed in front of the barrel, counting them as they appeared and waiting for the right moment. She could feel Weiss’ chest rising and falling steadily as she focused her breathing, sending goosebumps along her arms.

“Hmph, of course it was.” Weiss hummed, a smile appearing. “It was my idea.”

Ruby smirked and fired her sniper-scythe, several icy chunks hitting the snake’s head and the area around it. Each load formed another, bigger chunk of ice, until the Grimm’s head was fully encased in it, effectively trapping it on the spot.    
  
Weiss lowered Myrtenaster. “And that’s that.”

Ruby folded up Crescent Rose, clasping it to the clip on her lower back. “Woo! Great teamwork Weiss!”

Weiss smirked, sheathing Myrtenaster temporarily. “Now, let’s hurry up and make sure your dunce of a sister hasn’t been eaten yet.”

  
  


*

“Yang! Let go!” Blake called to the flaming blonde perched on the snake's head, who was being flung like a rag doll. 

“Not until he- STOPS!” Yang slammed her fist into its nose, shotgun pellets going through the creature's jaw with a crack. It screeched loudly and swung roughly one more time, Yang finally dropping off to the ground beside Blake. The snake hissed, its nostrils now smoking black. Yang cocked her gauntlets again, a frown on her face.

“It won't die!!” She groaned. 

“You need to behead it, or else it won’t die,” Blake explained, “We learned this last week in Professor Port’s class.”

“Psh- Yeah I totally knew that and paid attention.”

Blake rolled her eyes at her partner, looking up as Ruby and Weiss appeared through the overgrowth. Yang waved them down, shooting another rocket into the black snout that lunged at her.

“Hey did you guys know we had to decapitate this thing!?” she asked as they got closer. 

Weiss huffed, slowing to a jog, “Well, your sister seems fine.”

“You do?!” Ruby squealed, ignoring Weiss’ earlier comment while earning an annoyed glare from the faunus girl beside her. Yang clicked her gauntlets, in response, a grin on her face.

“You need to break the scales at the base of its neck first,” Weiss pointed out as the snake began to rise up again, mist still rising from its nose, “Especially on an Alpha. They have hardened necks.”

“Yang?” Ruby called, folding out her weapon to its full size. The blonde nodded, giving her little sister a thumbs up.

“Break the scales, gotcha!” She changed Ember Celica to melee combat mode, looking at the white haired member of her team, “Think you can help me out, Ice Queen?”

“Only in my nightmares, Brute,” the heiress lifted her hand, a circle of glowing glyphs appearing around the snake head, “But I’m ready when you are.”

“Blake, can you cover Weiss?” Ruby asked, the tanned girl already moving into position next to the Schnee.

“You don’t need to ask.” Blake replied, placing the sheath back over her shoulder as she changed her weapon from its main blade into the alternate gun and katana. 

The King Taijitu slithered around, unsure on who to target. Ruby locked eyes with it for a second, its tongue flicking as it stalled, waiting for the right moment to strike. Ruby’s eyes were fierce, taunting the Alpha to up its game. It hissed louder, shooting back a venomous glare.   
  
“GO!” Ruby ordered as the serpent went for her.

It missed Ruby by a small margin. Ruby sprinted away, leaving a burst of petals in her wake. The beast turned to stalk the fleeing, red shape. Before it could give chase, Yang wound up behind it, driving her fist across its neck. The beast shrieked, turning to face its aggressor, only to be met with another punch to the opposite side of its neck. Scales were sent flying under the brute force of each hit, more and more progressively dislodging from the Taijitu’s skin.   
  
“Over here!” Yang teased, launching from Weiss’ glyph again and going for its throat. The Grimm hissed, lifting its head to look around again. It quickly spotted the monochrome duo standing still nearby.

Weiss was straining under the unaccustomed weight on her semblance, eyes widening as she noticed the Alpha zeroing in on Blake and her. It shot forward, tongue flicking with excitement. Bullets from Blake bounced off its scales, its maw opening wide as it got closer.

Blake narrowed her eyes, turning and hooking an arm under Weiss to move her. “Hold on tight!”

Weiss yelped in surprise, dropping Yang accidentally as her focus broke. The faunus jumped up into the air, scrambling up the tree branches with Weiss still over her shoulder. The Taijitu followed them up, growing taller in the trees as it balanced itself on its strong body. 

Weiss scowled, reaching forward and summoning three black glyphs around the snake, freezing it mid-air with its jaw locked open. She grinned, a wind carrying the smell of roses suddenly appearing around them.   
  
Ruby appeared, boots gripping onto a tree as she tensed her legs. The Grimm turned its eye to look at Ruby, realization flashing its crimson glare. Ruby smiled, grip tightening on Crescent Rose.

She shot from the tree, denting the bark as she launched. The curved blade caught the weakened scales of the Grimm, halting for a moment as the pressure caught up. With a single swing, Crescent Rose tore through the flesh, decapitating the Alpha King Taijitu cleanly. Its dying screech ripped through the forest, before it began to dissipate into nothing but black fumes.

Weiss dispelled her glyphs, the body of the serpent hitting the ground in two separate parts. Yang whistled, kicking the exposed neck with her foot, “And that, ladies, is how you separate conjoined twins, RWBY style!”

Weiss and Blake hopped down from the trees, reuniting with the two sisters on the forest ground. Ruby smirked, taking out her scroll and snapping a quick selfie of her kill with the team.   
  
“That’s one way to put it,” Blake hummed, placing Gambol Shroud back into its sheath on her back. Weiss glared at Yang for a moment, taking a slight step back.

“Yang- what on Remnant are you covered in?”

The blonde stared at Weiss in confusion, before looking back down at herself and changing her expression to one of pure mischief, directed at the heiress. She wiped a handful of snake goo from her leg before flinging it at the girl, “Oh- It’s throat mucus. Here, have some!”

Weiss gagged as the cold, slimy fluid landed on her, coating her face and neck in it. She tried to wipe it from her skin, finding it to be sticky and foul smelling, “YANG- I SWEAR TO THE GODS, I’m going to murder you and sell your body parts on Mantle’s black market! WHAT IN THE NAME OF DUST IS WRONG WITH YOU?!”

“Love you too, Princess!”

“Okay gang, let’s rendezvous with JNPR and go ho-” Ruby turned just as Yang flung more mucus at Weiss, a loud shriek of anger ripping from the Schnee, “Ew- what is that?”

“It’s the way your sister is going to  _ die  _ if she doesn’t STOP!-”

“It’s throat slime from the Taijitu!” Yang explained briefly, grinning, “Pretty sure it was trying to digest me in there- but hey! I’m alive and it’s dead so who cares?”

“Yang was eaten,” Blake said, tightening her bow over her ears as they began to walk towards the Collection point. Ruby’s eyes widened, starting over at Yang in disbelief.

“Really?!” she asked, excitement lacing her voice. Yang nodded her head proudly, clearing her throat as she geared up to tell the tale. Weiss grumbled. It was going to be a long hike back.

“So there I was-” Yang began, lowering her voice to add suspension, “running for my life with the King Taijitu on my tail!”

*

“And that’s how we kicked ass!”

“Whoa,” Ruby gasped, stars glowing in her eyes, “That’s so cool!”

Weiss rolled her own, still desperately trying to clean the slime Yang threw at her from her pale skin with a handkerchief, “And then Ruby and I had to save you from it, remember?”

Blake giggled softly as Yang’s expression fell from proud to knowing she had been called out. She corrected herself, “Y-yeah! Then the super cool couple that were probably making-out-before-they-came to-rescue-us arrived! And then-”

“YANG!” Ruby blurted, punching her older sister roughly in the shoulder, “We were not making out!”

“Were too.”

“WERE NOT!”

“That’s not what Blake told me, isn’t that right Kit Kat?” Yang teased, throwing her arm around the Faunus’ shoulders unexpectedly. Blake jumped at the sudden closeness, but continued to smile.

“And what exactly did Blake tell you?” Weiss pitched in, just as annoyed at Yang’s teasing as Ruby was. Judging by the shit-eating grin that grew on her, it wasn’t going to get any better.

“Blake here told me she saw you two in a certain position on the ground in the middle of the fight!” Yang laughed. 

Ruby and Weiss immediately turned red, embarrassed at the accusation. Yang’s sniggers only got louder at the sight of the flustered pair, while Blake smiled over at them from the other side of her partner.

“You don’t have to keep your relationship a secret around us. No team secrets, remember?” Blake prodded, earning another loud snort from Yang as they broke the forest edge. Weiss merely rolled her eyes, shaking her head with an annoyed sigh as she moved further ahead. Ruby took notice, before looking to Yang with an annoyed stare.

“Oh my Gods, now you’ve upset Weiss too,” Ruby grumbled, jogging to catch up with her snow-haired partner. Ruby could practically sense the humiliation rolling off the Schnee in waves, the girl was grumbling under her breath as Ruby caught up.

“Hey, don’t take it personally. It’s Yang, she has no filter...” Ruby sighed, her blush starting to fade away, “How was the fight? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine,” Weiss replied coldly, averting her eyes from Ruby as they got closer to the ruins where the extraction point was. The rose themed girl took that as her cue to shut up, knowing from experience that if she pushed Weiss any further, she would get a firm yelling out of it. She could tell Weiss was in a sour mood after what Yang had just said, Ruby was too, but Ruby had built up a certain tolerance to it while Weiss hadn't.   
  
“Sorry,” Ruby hummed sadly, spotting the silhouettes of JNPR in the distance, already waiting for them. She changed her walk into a pace, hurrying up to them with a smile and wave, “Hey you guys! How’d your hunt go?!”

Weiss stared after Ruby with a sigh. Her muscles screamed at her to stop and sit down, or to simply drop where she stood, but she knew if she did, she wouldn’t be able to stand back up again on her own. Her knees wobbled as she walked, even now, leaving her in a cranky mood. Yang hadn’t made that much better. She didn’t mean to snap at Ruby, but it just came out like that.

“Ruby! There you are!” Jaune stood as Ruby came to a stop near them, relief written on his features, “We were starting to get worried you’d miss the pickup!”

“Psh, us missing a pickup? Nah,” Ruby waved her hand in the air dismissively, “Plus, if we did, Weiss would kill me.”

“Good point,” Jaune said with a laugh. Ruby smiled. She liked Jaune. He was a good leader; caring, compassionate, although a bit lacking in the combat skills field. Last she heard, Pyrrha had been helping him in that regard, passing on skills from her own 1v1 training sessions. She was glad for them.

“How did your mission go?” Pyrrha asked from nearby as the remaining trio from RWBY caught up. 

“Fantastic!” Yang spoke up, placing her hands onto both her hips with a sick crunching noise as the slime began to harden in the sunlight, “We killed the Alpha King Taijitu- not a problem for team RWBY!”

A loud gasp revealed where Nora had been, prompting the ginger girl to jump out from behind Jaune at the sound of King Taijitu, a challenging look in her eyes.

“Well  _ we  _ cleared out an entire Ursa den!” she bragged, “The thing was huuuge! Like, gigantic!”

Yang decided to take her up on that challenge, electricity already flying between the two, “Oh yeah? Well this thing  _ ate _ me- and then I blew it up from the inside!”

“False,” Blake commented somewhere behind her partner, having pulled out a book to read on her scroll whilst they waited for the airship.

“OH YEAH?! Well this Ursa had my head in its  _ mouth _ , so I ripped its jaw in half!” Nora retorted, taking a step closer to Yang. 

“That’s incorrect. Pyrrha saved you.” Ren spoke up from where Nora had emerged from, well accustomed to Nora’s nature to exaggerate.

“OH YEAH- Well I rode the black half into the woods! Didn’t let go once!” Yang took a step closer to Nora, their foreheads practically pressing against each other.

_ “OH YEAH?!” _

_ “YEAH.” _

Weiss groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose as a headache began to form, “We get it! You’re both buffoons.”

A small round of laughter came from the teams at Nora and Yang’s raging battle of brags, as they tried and failed to make themselves appear better than what they were. Their claims were riddled with lies and made up events, all to make the other sound tougher.

Pyrrha giggled lightly, looking down to Ruby with a smile, “So it went well?”

Ruby nodded, stretching her arms above her head with a yawn, “Yeah, but I’m totally gonna sleep for a month when I get back. I’m pooped.”

Pyrrha cocked a gentle eyebrow, “I meant your offer to bring Weiss on a da-”   
  
“Uh!” Ruby quickly shushed the warrior by placing a hand against her mouth, glancing over her shoulder in horror to make sure Weiss hadn’t heard Pyrrha’s words. The heiress was picking leaves out of her hair nearby, oblivious to the conversation. Ruby sighed in relief, looking back over to Pyrrha as she dropped her hands.

“I didn’t get to ask her,” Ruby mumbled, looking away from her friends as her cheeks flushed red.

Pyrrha frowned slightly, chancing a glance at Weiss before her eyes drifted back to Ruby, a glow of support lighting her emerald eyes, “I’m sure you’ll find the courage to do it soon. Are you still afraid of losing her?”

Ruby nodded, peering up at the treetops, “Yeah... and Yang’s not helping much either. I wish I hadn’t told her.”

Pyrrha chuckled warmly, looking over to the named girl with a smirk, “I’m sure your sister means well, Ruby. She’s just being an older sister.”

The red caped girl huffed, groaning slightly in protest to Pyrrha’s words, “I think she just wants to see me suffer…”

Pyrrha hummed,”I wouldn’t say that. Just keep at it. I’m sure you’ll get your opportunity soon.” She turned her head upward, glancing up to the sky as the rumble of an engine slowly grew in loudness, the black form of the airship soon looming over the treetops, “There’s our ride.”

“Finally,” Weiss grumbled, pushing herself up from a broken pillar she had been leaning against, “I’m freezing.”

The airship sank below treetop height, kicking up loose grass and sticks from their surroundings as it got closer. Once it finally touched down, the wind lessened and dissipated entirely when the engines died off. The bay door opened with a hiss, emergency first aid members standing at the entrance as a precautionary matter.

“Everyone alright?” The woman asked, a red and white visor covering most of her face, as well as a black mesh over her mouth for hygiene. Ruby waited as the others got on, watching Weiss carefully. She seemed exhausted, dangerously so.

“We’re all spic and span, thank you Nurse!” piped up Yang, as she opened her locker and began to throw all her gear into it, “Nothin’ but snake mucus and good spirits here!”   
  
Ruby hummed in response, jumping up onto the ship herself. She looked at the nurse and gave a subtle nod towards her partner, which the well tuned woman caught easily. She nodded back, closing the door behind her as Ruby headed to her own locker.   
  
“I’m just going to make sure none of you have heat-stroke. I’m jealous of huntresses like you, being able to work in such heat is hard!” She said, grabbing her gear and beginning to look at Ren, who’d already put all his gear in his own locker.

Ruby let out a breath of relief, resting her baby against the locker wall before placing her leftover ammo beside it. She heard the ship come to life around her, a sign she needed to hurry up and get strapped in. She locked her weapon away, before turning and finding Weiss sitting alone.   
  
Ruby frowned, moving to sit beside her partner. Weiss tiredly looked up as Ruby sat beside her, words edging on her tongue, before just deciding to swallow her pride and say nothing. She sighed, leaning back into the wall and closing her eyes again. These damned seats were so uncomfortable sometimes.

“You can lean on me if you want.”

Weiss opened her eyes at the sound of Ruby’s offer, leaning forward with a dull ache in her body. She was desperate for any type of sleep, enough to not care how she got it, “Are you sure?”

Ruby’s eyes widened at the heiress’ response, causing an unimpressed frown to grow on her face. 

“I-I mean- Of course you can? You’re tired, aren’t you? I-uh- don’t mind?” Ruby stammered, before a wave of seriousness came over her, “Um- You do look exhausted though, Weiss. You should sleep if you can.”

Weiss watched Ruby for a moment, weighing her options. She could risk being teased by Yang again, or sleep and wake up with a cramp in her neck…

She’d get over the teasing sooner than the cramp.

“Then I’ll take you up on your offer,” Weiss grumbled, shifting herself so that she could comfortably lean against Ruby’s shoulder. She slowly lowered her head, a blush forming on her face as she was greeted by Ruby’s increasing heartbeat. She sighed, relaxing her tense muscles.

This was much better.


	2. Plan B

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Blake? Can I.. Um.. Talk to you about something?”
> 
> The faunus perked her head from her book. Ruby stood nervously at the side of her bed, fidgeting with her nail. Blake cocked an eyebrow, sitting up straight.
> 
> “What’s wrong?” She asked, shuffling to the edge of her own bed to gaze up at her team leader. 
> 
> Ruby shuffled awkwardly on the spot, eyes cast to the ground. Weiss had gone to the library to study for a few hours in peace, while Yang had gone for a workout at the gym. It was just the two of them in the room. She looked up and met Blake’s golden gaze, waiting patiently. Her feline ears were perked and ready.
> 
> “How…” she started, gathering her courage, “How do you know if you like someone?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thank you to all the support so far ;;D This chapter is where stuff starts to pick up some speed, but not much! We're going from a slow crawl to a crawl, but sp e e d none the less.
> 
> Please don't forget to leave comments/kudos. Comments make me happy-

“Okay Class, what do we know about the impact of Dust on the human body?”

Weiss sighed heavily, her shoulders slouching as she leaned back. Dust Chemistry was a class she’d much rather not take, especially considering she was the next in line for the biggest Dust refinement company on Remnant. She already knew everything she needed to about elemental formulas in Dust by the time she was seven.

“Hey, Weiss?” Ruby whispered, drawing the Schnee’s dwindling attention from the professor to her partner.

“Hm?” 

“Can people burn from the inside out if you stabbed them with fire dust?”

Weiss huffed, “Don’t be ridiculous. Fire needs oxygen to burn, and there wouldn’t be sufficient oxygen in your body for the fire to combust. The only way such an event could happen is in the rare case you got fire Dust into your lungs; however, the stab wound itself would be more likely to kill you first, rather than the fire.”

Ruby blinked, Weiss’ words lost to her, “Uh.. Can you explain that to me in English?”

“Miss Rose,” Ruby straightened up immediately as Professor Ebony called her name, silver eyes darting to the front of the class. The teacher was staring at her expectantly, foot tapping the floor. Ruby gulped, glancing to Weiss for help, who, in turn, only shrugged.

“Y-yeah?”

“Miss Rose! As knowledgeable as Miss Schnee may be, she is not your professor. Eyes down here from now on,” she spoke softly. Ruby bowed her head in slight humiliation.

“Sorry…”

Professor Ebony was one of the nicer teachers in the school, being a mother of two. Her motherly instincts sometimes bled into class time, but nobody ever complained. In the rare case where it did, it was refreshing, maybe even comforting.

Weiss sighed. Being around such a motherly figure was rough at times. She liked to keep her walls up, and she’d become harsh and snappy with anyone who tried to talk to her. Professor Ebony had tried, on multiple occasions, to start a conversation with her before class, and she had been pleasant, but the idea of a pleasant mother made Weiss extremely uncomfortable considering her own was... not so keen on showing any form of kindness.

“As I was saying,” The professor turned to point at a simple drawing of a body on the blackboard, “The human body is made up of two simple parts. The body itself”

She quickly drew a circle in the chest with blue chalk, “...and the soul.

“Everybody has a different soul, as demonstrated by the color of our aura. While one of you may have a green colored aura, another may have a red aura, or a blue aura. It protects us, helps us to unlock and bring forth our semblances. It is unique to every one of us.

“Now, you’re probably wondering how this is related to the effect of Dust on our bodies,” some students nodded at the statement, pens in their hands. Weiss looked over to Ruby, who was busy drawing in the corner of her book. The heiress frowned, handing Ruby the notes she had already written.

“If you’re not going to pay attention, copy those down. They’ll help you when it comes to revision.” Weiss whispered, not taking her eyes off the presentation in front of her. Ruby’s eyes gleamed with appreciation for a moment, opening her mouth to say something. Her jaw hung open, before deciding against saying anything. She began to copy the tedious amount of notes quietly, much to Weiss’ relief.

“Dust is made up of several chemicals, as you know,” Professor Ebony pointed to a crudely drawn shard of dust, before circling, “Dust Crystals are the condensed form of Dust. Dust Crystals cannot merge with the human body internally. However, they can be applied externally to heal wounds. A good example of this can be seen in Fire Dust Crystals, which can be cracked in half and used for cauterizing, or Ice Crystals, similarly handled to numb an area.

“Despite their beneficial purposes, there are still limitations and dire consequences to be considered, should the exposure to Dust happen in a less than ideal circumstance. If any of you ever get impaled by a Dust Crystal, you must immediately seek medical attention, even if your aura is still intact.” The professor lifted a jar of powdered Dust from her desk, holding it up for the class to see, “Powdered Dust is fatal inside the human body. Its potency is not unlike the most toxic snake venom on Remnant. Please observe what happens when I take a few grains of this Fire Dust and dip it into this beaker of animal blood.”

Weiss and Ruby both straightened up, intrigued, as the teacher showcased a beaker labeled as “pig’s blood”. She swung it around slightly, swishing the liquid in it from side to side, staining the glass red. She then set the beaker back down for a moment, picking up a pipette and using it to syphon the Fire Dust. 

Carefully, she dipped the tip of the pipette into the blood, releasing the Dust briefly by squeezing. The blood boiled for a few seconds, before going still.

The class grew silent as they watched the professor pull out a silver dish from behind her desk. She picked up the beaker full of blood and gently poured it onto the dish. Instead of the liquid falling from the glass beaker the way it should’ve, a coagulated lump plopped down instead, hitting the dish like a jelly.

“Whoa,” Ruby gasped, “That’s so cool!”

Weiss hummed, folding her arms over her chest. She had never actually seen it in person, what happened when Dust interacted with blood. She had studied it down to the minuscule chemical reactions, but her father had made sure she never actually witnessed the experiments take place. Something about it not being a suitable place for children. Weiss never bought it.

“Professor? You only demonstrated powdered Dust and crystalline Dust. What about pure Dust?” A student called from behind her. The teacher bowed her head.

“Fantastic question. While it has been proven the most common types of Dust are fatal, the results of pure Dust on a human body have never been publicly released.” She explained.

“Why? Couldn’t scientists outside Atlas investigate it themselves?” Another voice. Weiss already knew that answer.

“Unfortunately, the only source of pure Dust comes from the Atlas Mountains. It is one of the rarest forms of Dust in existence, and it costs more than this entire school makes in a lifetime.”

“Can’t you get the Schnees to provide some?” Cardin’s voice boomed from the back of the classroom, “We have the daughter of the owner right here, after all.”

“I have a _name_ , Cardin,” Weiss growled, straightening her back, “And do tell me if I’m wrong, but I believe you’re also a part of a wealthy family. Couldn’t you get perfectly forged weapons for every student in the school?”

Ruby snorted at Weiss’ response, sharing the same smug grin as her partner. The rest of the class began to chuckle lightly at Weiss’ response. The Schnee could practically see the frustration growing on Cardin’s disgruntled face. She was right, and Cardin knew she was right.

“You got a problem with my family, Schnee?!” Cardin yelled, standing from his desk. The class grew tense as they waited for Weiss’ response, all eyes turning to her and Ruby in the front row. Ruby gazed at Weiss, ready to stand up for her if she needed to. 

She didn’t need it, “No, but you forget the Winchester family works for the SDC. I know that your family is a struggling business.”

“Is that a threat, you bitch!?” 

Ruby physically prickled at that, her silver eyes filling with protective fury towards the bully. She turned to face him, a snarky remark climbing up her throat with venomous intent. Her mouth was already open when she felt a hand on her arm, turning to look at Weiss in shock.

“Weiss-?”

“Don’t bother,” Weiss hummed, turning her partner around to face the front again, “He’s not worth it. And stubborn, to boot. You’ll only end up in a fight.”

“But he called you a-!”

“I’ve been called worse,” she voiced, sadly, causing a worried frown to flash across Ruby’s face, “I’ll be fine.”

Ruby relented, settling back into her seat with a defeated look. She didn’t like Cardin. He was always bullying people, getting under their skin and raging havoc. He always seemed to have a problem with Weiss, and it really got to Ruby. 

Weiss would always allow Cardin to tear into her, mocking her family, her scar, anything he could get his hands on. Ruby had heard him muttering something about her several times in the cafeteria, but whenever Ruby would try to stand up for her partner, Weiss would stop her. It was always the same.

“Winchester, I recommend you learn to control your tantrums quickly, else I’ll have to send you to Ozpin,” Professor Ebony growled.

Cardin huffed, falling back into his seat with a grumble that Ruby couldn’t hear. The rose themed girl eyed her partner again, scanning her features to try and get a hint of what she was thinking. 

“Now, as I was going to say, I want all of you to write an essay on the chemical formula of powdered Dust, and why it interacts so critically with human blood. Human blood composition is to be found on the 48th chapter of your textbooks.”

The final bell interrupted the teacher’s words, signaling the end of classes for the day. All of the students stood up quickly, rushing to get to the door before anyone else. Professor Ebony quickly shuffled out of the way as the rush of students threatened to flatten her, holding up a sheet of paper in desperation.

“There’ll be a quiz on this next week! Be sure to study!”

Weiss let out a heavy sigh, knowing she had a long night of writing ahead of her. She stood up from her seat and gathered her belongings. She stacked everything into a small pile before sensing a pair of eyes lingering on her. She blinked, turning, only to find Ruby staring at her. She narrowed her eyes.

“What?” Weiss asked, picking up her books and holding them in her arms. Ruby only narrowed her eyes more, before copying her.

“Why do you let him get away with it?” She asked, following after Weiss as she joined the group of students leaving the room. Weiss sighed.

“I already told you. I’ve been called worse, and I’d rather not waste my time arguing with someone who knows they’re wrong,” Weiss explained with a shrug. 

“But doesn’t it upset you when he calls you that stuff?”  
  
“Upset me? No, not anymore. It used to, but I’ve learned to just ignore him. You should too.” Weiss pushed her way into the hallway, Ruby following close behind. She could hear the surrounding kids already chattering about the event between the Schnee and the Winchester families in the hall.

“Are you sure?” Ruby asked once more. Weiss sighed, stopping her pace to stare Ruby dead in the eyes.

“Ruby. It’s okay, I’m fine,” she explained once more, irritation seeping in her voice before she calmed down again, “Now come on, let’s go meet the others for lunch.”

“Schnee!”  
  


Weiss sighed as Cardin’s voice boomed down the halls, causing Weiss to turn away and break into pace towards the cafeteria. Ruby looked back to the bully, noticing the rest of his team had joined him, before jogging to catch up with Weiss.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!”

“Weiss.” Ruby whispered. Weiss didn’t glance back, annoyance in her eyes.

“Just keep walking, Ruby.”

“You’ll regret humiliating me, Schnee! I’ve got eyes and ears everywhere!” he warned, as the pair left the building, heading towards their dorm to drop off their books before going for lunch. 

Cardin growled, moving from the hallway to a nearby empty classroom, away from the growing mutters of the students around him. He swung the door open with a bang, letting the rest of team CRDL follow cautiously. His scroll in hand, he scrolled through pages of contacts with a single swipe of his finger.

Dove looked between Sky and Russel uncomfortably, folding his arms as he watched his leader cool from his temper tantrum, “Hey Cardin. Is all this worth it? I mean, she’s just a Schnee-”

“She’s not just a Schnee!” Cardin snapped back, shutting Dove up immediately, “She’s a mouthy bitch who insulted my family _and_ my honor! She’s gotta pay.”

The three members of his team crossed unsure glances as Cardin finally found the right contact. He jammed his finger against the screen, bringing the scroll up to his ear as the contact “unknown” came onto his screen.

“I need a job done.”

*

“Cardin did what?!”

Yang’s voice made Weiss wince, regretting telling her almost immediately. She took another mouthful of soup, shaking her head as Ruby retold the story of the events that unfolded earlier. Glancing up from her bowl, she could feel the group’s eyes on her.

“It’s Cardin,” asserted Weiss, exchanging glances with the rest of her team and JNPR, who were staring back at her with various, different emotions on display, concern being the most prevalent of all facial expressions “I don’t know why any of you are surprised. He’s always had something against me.”

“That doesn’t give him the right to call you that,” Pyrrha said from across the table, catching the heiress’ attention.

“Damn right it doesn’t!” Yang growled, her lilac eyes turning crimson as her anger grew. Jaune rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, well aware of what Cardin was like when he got mad.

“I say we break his legs!” Nora joined Yang on her feet, electricity sparking behind her cyan eyes. Yang smirked in agreement. 

“Hell yeah!”

“Can you two calm down?” Blake said from behind Yang, pulling at Yang’s shirt to get her to sit back down again, “Team CRDL isn’t even here.”

“Nora, that’s enough.” Ren ordered, the sparking gingerhead defusing the second she heard his words. Ren shoved a bowl of grapes in front of her, which instantly caught her attention. She threw one into her mouth, before flinging one at Yang, who caught it in her mouth.

“The annoying part was that he followed us into the hallway and made a show,” Weiss grumbled, finishing her soup, “Honestly, he’s such a dense buffoon.”

“What did he say to you there?” Blake asked, golden eyes observing her with piqued interest.

“I don’t know, nor do I care.” Weiss grumbled. 

“We left before we could hear what he had to say, but he wasn’t happy.” Ruby explained, biting down onto her third sandwich. Blake hummed, deep in thought, before burying her nose back into the book she was reading. 

“I heard from a few students that CRDL has been banned from missions for the next week,” Pyrrha said. 

“Good, that’s what they get for offending the best partner ever.” Ruby folded her arms in a fake huff, checking Weiss to try and see how she reacted.

She smiled as she saw a hint of a grin across the pale girl's face. She smiled herself, before taking up her final sandwich and taking a chomp out of it.

“Anyways, change of subject:” Pyrrha finished her own lunch, tidying her tray, “We have another mission coming up!”

Ruby perked up from her snacking, mouth full, “Rwally? Sho shoon?”

A harsh smack to the back of her head from Weiss almost made her choke. She swallowed her food quickly in surprise, “Don’t talk with your mouth full!”

Jaune chuckled nervously, “Y-yeah. Ozpin is sending us out tomorrow night.”

“Wow, go Vomit boy and NPR,” Yang stopped midway to catch a flying grape, chewing it quickly before swallowing it, “Where ya’ going?”

“We’re going to a village outside Haven to deal with some Grimm,” Ren explained, laying his chopsticks onto his empty bowl. Ruby’s eyes widened, her jaw dropping slightly.

“Mantle? Isn’t that a day away?” 

“Yeah, we’re gonna be gone for a few weeks,” Nora said, aiming higher for Yang to catch the grape, “Hey! Do you think it’ll be beach season?”

“No Nora, the village is in the middle of a forest,” Ren sighed, already sensing the excitement bubbling from his partner’s aura.

“We were actually gonna go to Vale for the rest of the day,” Jaune mumbled, glancing briefly over at Weiss, who ignored his attempt, “We were wondering if you wanted to come along?”

“It’ll be fun!” Nora piped up, finally throwing the entire bundle of grapes into Yang’s face, who yelped in surprise.

The blonde caught the bundle in her hand midair, a smile across her face, “Sure, I don’t see why not! Blake?”  
  
Yang bumped the feline’s shoulder, however Blake’s eyes didn’t drift from the words on the page, “I don’t mind.”

“Weiss?” Jaune asked, hope lining his voice. Weiss looked up, catching the disappointment in Pyrrha’s eyes at the idea of Weiss being his invite rather than her. She groaned internally. Jaune was so dense…

“I’ll have to pass.” 

Yang looked down the table to their resident Ice Queen, hands pressing down on its surface, “Aw, come on Princess. Take some time off and hang out with us. I promise I won’t annoy you too much.”

Weiss huffed, folding her arms and cocking an eyebrow at Yang, “Now I’m definitely not going.”

“Why do you not wanna come? It’ll be no fun without you,” Nora moaned, bringing out her signature pouting face. Weiss let out a dull groan, uninterested.

“I’ve got an essay to work on, and a quiz to study for,” Weiss explained, standing up from the bench with her tray in hand, “Besides, I can’t afford to go shopping this late into the month.”

“Aw man,” Nora pouted, deflating against the table.

“What about you, Ruby?” Pyrrha asked, noticing how the youngest watched Weiss in slight disappointment. Her head perked up immediately at the sound of her name, unsure how to respond.

“Uhh, I think I’ll stay too,” Ruby stammered, eyes lingering on Weiss for a minute, “To keep Weiss company.”

Weiss looked at Ruby in bewilderment, a slight blush on her cheeks. Ruby always wanted an excuse to get away from Beacon, and she had left Weiss alone plenty of times before. Why was she staying this time? This was suspicious.

“I don’t need a babysitter Ruby,” Weiss remarked, hesitating at the edge of the bench as she tried to judge Ruby’s reaction. Ruby laughed awkwardly, and Weiss swore she saw a red blush dust her cheeks for a few seconds. It made the Schnee’s heart flutter in a strange way.

“I’m not babysitting you- I-I just... Have to do the essay too.” Ruby quickly covered, struggling to force the growing, red heat back beneath her skin, “And I have no idea of what happened today in class.”

Weiss cocked an eyebrow, not buying Ruby’s stuttering excuses, “Uh-huh…”

“Aww, look at the two love birds,” Yang remarked, watching the exchange between Ruby and Weiss with a smirk, “Goin’ on a study date.”

“Yang!” Ruby snapped, the blush breaking free and going rampant this time, “It’s not a date!”

“Do what you want,” Weiss finally replied, leaving to bring her tray back to the front of the canteen, “But don’t whine at me when you regret it.”

*

Weiss unlocked their dorm room with a click, Ruby’s lack of personal space making her uncomfortable. She pushed into the room, clicking on the light to reveal their home for the past year. Ruby sauntered in with a loud sigh, immediately hopping up onto her bed to relax.

“Ahh, I’m exhausted,” Ruby sighed, sprayed across her tilted bed as her muscles ached, “So, whatcha wanna do?”

Weiss sighed, pushing Ruby’s hanging cape out of the way as she set out gathering her studying material from the locker, “Study.”

Ruby frowned, leaning over the side of the bed so that she hung directly beside Weiss, “Okay, but what do you want to do when you're finished?”

“Ruby,” Weiss growled, glancing to the side where her partner still hung upside down, “I told you before we got here, I’m only going to study.”

Ruby watched as Weiss moved back across the room towards the desk they shared, a pout on her face. She pushed herself from the bunk, flipping and landing on her foot and knee with practiced perfection.

“But, it’s early. Can’t studying wait?” Ruby moaned, drifting over to the desk where Weiss had already settled. The Schnee sighed again, leaning back to look at her bored partner.

“You’re not a child, Ruby, you can entertain yourself. I need to study for this quiz and get a head start on this essay,” Weiss focused back to the task at hand, sheets and a pen already out in the open, “But you’re welcome to join me in writing it.”

“Eugh, not yet,” Ruby groaned, reversing back onto her bed with a huff of air. 

Weiss didn’t react to that, dedicating her full attention to homework instead. Ruby huffed in defeat, reaching into her pillowcase and pulling out her journal. She opened it carefully, pulling the pen from its spine and reading over the page she had been staring at for the last few weeks.

_‘Operation ask Weiss on a date!!’_

Ruby sighed, biting onto the end of her pen. The page was practically empty. All her other attempts were scribbled out to the point of not being readable anymore. She had tried so many times to get Weiss’ undivided attention, only for her plan to go sideways. The newest entry was the lone survivor of her criss-crossing, in plain view and as clear as day. 

_‘Study date?????’_

Well, she had gotten to the point of being alone with Weiss, so that had to count for something. 

She furrowed her brows, flipping back a few pages. Blake’s handwriting filled the page, tips and tricks written along the lines. Ruby had read them over, studied them more than any test she had ever had in Beacon. Some parts were circled, some crossed out.

  
  
  


*

_“Blake? Can I.. Um.. Talk to you about something?”_

_The faunus perked her head from her book. Ruby stood nervously at the side of her bed, fidgeting with her nail. Blake cocked an eyebrow, sitting up straight._

_“What’s wrong?” She asked, shuffling to the edge of her own bed to gaze up at her team leader._

_Ruby shuffled awkwardly on the spot, eyes cast to the ground. Weiss had gone to the library to study for a few hours in peace, while Yang had gone for a workout at the gym. It was just the two of them in the room. She looked up and met Blake’s golden gaze, waiting patiently. Her feline ears were perked and ready._

_“How…” she started, gathering her courage, “How do you know if you like someone?”_

_Blake blinked a few times, surprised by the question. She tilted her head, a soft smile on her face, “It’s Weiss, isn’t it?”_

_Ruby’s eyes widened in a heartbeat, blood rushing to her face at the suggestion, “Wha- ha- How did you guess?!”_

_Blake giggled softly, folding her arms as she moved down the bed, patting the spot where she had been for Ruby to sit down. The younger girl took the spot graciously, looking at Blake with an expression between despair and helplessness._

_“How does she make you feel?” Blake asked, her voice soft and supportive._

_Ruby hesitated, unsure of how to respond. She stared at her hands, trying to find the right words for what she felt. How did she make her feel? How could she explain it with what limited words she knew? The blush grew deeper on her face as she sat there trying to figure out how to go about it._

_“Weiss… I don’t know. She just makes me-”_

_“Happy?” Blake suggested. Ruby slowly nodded._

_“Very happy, and my heart races whenever I’m around her,” Ruby started to smile, slowly relaxing as her mind drifted, “She’s pretty, and she’s super nice under all of the ice. I have a crush on Weiss, Blake.”_

_Blake brought an arm around Ruby’s shoulder, “I know.”_

_“How.. How do I deal with it? How do I make it go away?” Ruby stammered, eyes starting to water. Blake felt her heart clench, a wistful smile on her face as she watched Ruby’s confusion only grow._

_“You can’t just get rid of it, Ruby. Love can’t just be gotten rid of,” explained Blake, gently rubbing the smaller girl’s arm in support, “You should ask her on a date.”_

_“Heh, yeah, right.” Ruby wiped the tears from her eyes, straightening up again, “Weiss would never go on a date with me. She has a reputation.”_

_“What about it?” Blake said, letting her hands fall back to her lap, “You should just give it a try. I bet you’d be surprised.”_

_Ruby sighed, playing with the side of her cape, “How do I even ask her on a date? This is Weiss we’re talking about.”_

_Blake smiled, “Well…”_

*

Ruby went back to the start of the page, tapping her pen against the first point.

_‘Get her alone and away from Yang.’_

She smirked, drawing a quick check beside it. Part one, done.

Now for part two.

Ruby furrowed her brows, reading over the second line a couple times. This was the part that always got to her.

_‘Ask her out by inviting her to Vale.’_

Ruby’s smile fell. She didn’t have the courage to do that, no matter how many monsters she could face, or Cardins she could tell off, this wasn’t something in her reperteur of bravery. She would always freeze at the last moment and lose her resolve, along with her chance.

Moving back to her planning page, she stared. How do you ask the Weiss Schnee on a date without it sounding weird and creepy? She pondered for a moment, putting her pen to the page and writing.

_‘Miss Schnee, I have a proposition for you._ ’? Nah, too formal.

_‘Weiss I’ve had a crush on you for the past year, can we go on a date?’_ Nope, too forward.

_‘DATE ME WEISS._ ’ Too aggressive.

_‘Some corny pickup line?’_ No, no. Weiss hated puns.

Ruby growled in frustration, throwing her arms around wildly like a child having a tantrum. This was way harder than what Blake had said!

Weiss glanced over her shoulder to the mumbling and muttering girl on the bed, her eye twitching in annoyance. Couldn’t Ruby just be quiet for a few hours? Just for once? The silver eyed girl never caught her glare, too insistent at staring down at her notebook and making disgruntled noises at it. 

Weiss sighed, turning back to her essay. She couldn’t focus, her mind drifting off at every opportunity. Ruby’s murmurings weren’t helping much, each groan or grumble bringing her back to how defensive she had acted in Professor Ebony’s class a few hours ago.

Why had Ruby been so eager to risk getting bullied by Cardin? Ruby always seemed to do that for her. She was always willing to risk her life, or put hers in danger to protect the Schnee. Once upon a time it used to annoy Weiss, and she’d snap back at Ruby saying how she could protect herself, and to stop, but Ruby never did.

Her mind drifted back to the fight against the Alpha King Taijitu the week prior, when Ruby had barreled into her and knocked her into the ground. Her face flushed at the thought, hands covering her face as she tried to hide the red shade growing on her pale cheeks. This wasn’t right- she wasn’t allowed to have feelings like this for Ruby, or even another girl.

What would her father think of her, if she did?

She could hear him now, _“You are a Schnee, and Schnees do not engage in ANY sort of scandalous, homosexual behaviour. You will not be a disgrace to this family and its name.”_

She winced at the idea, sighing heavily. She had tried to date guys. Or really anyone who seemed fit for her father to approve. She had dated Neptune for a few months, but that hadn’t been anything more than a fake friendship. They had nothing in common, and Weiss had held on until they practically didn’t meet each other anymore. The relationship had died off on its own.

And then there was Ruby, and Weiss still wasn’t sure how she felt about her. There was a spark that burned whenever Ruby was happy around her, or whenever she heard her quiet snorts while she slept, not to mention the way Ruby would bristle up when Weiss was offended, and how her silver pools would fill with a protective desire.

Gods help her, she had a crush on that dolt.

She shook the thought from her head, taking a breath and instead trying to focus on her essay. She would get this done, and then distract herself by studying for the rest of the night. That’s how she always got rid of these useless emotions. Just shove her problems into a jar and store it deep inside her-

“Hey, Weiss?”

-Which would be impossible if said problem kept trying to talk to her.

“Yes?”

Weiss turned around to be met with Ruby standing beside her, practically sweating with nerves. Her mouth was open mid-sentence, forming into different shapes as she tried to force the words out.  
  
“Uhm- give me a second,” Ruby said, a blush slowly growing on her face. Weiss cocked an eyebrow, unsure what to expect from this show. Her own heart began to race as she slowly pieced some things together. This wasn’t… a confession, was it?

“Use your words Ruby,” Weiss grumbled, trying to calm her own beating heart down. Ruby gulped.

“S-so.. I was wondering if- if you wanted to- like you don’t have to at all, this is only a suggestion and I wouldn’t be-” 

“Ruby!” Weiss interrupted the flustered girl’s tangent, holding a hand in the air as a sign for her to stop. Ruby flinched at that, straightening her back straight and closing her eyes tight.

“Would you like to go to Vale with me tomorrow- just us?” She blurted out, the blush growing on her face. Well, she’d done it- now Blake couldn’t call her a scaredy cat anymore, “You don’t have to though! I know you wanna study and stuff so if you can’t, it’s totally okay!-”

“Ruby, look at me.”

Ruby snapped her mouth shut immediately, opening her eyes slightly to find the heiress. Weiss was smiling at her, a gentle blush on her own face. Ruby almost choked on her own tongue waiting for a response, ready to run away and hide for the rest of her life. She wanted the heartbeat in her ears to grow louder so maybe she wouldn’t hear the rejection she was about to get.

“I’d love to go with you."

Ruby stared at Weiss in disbelief, unsure if she had heard what she thought she had. Weiss was facing away from her, hand over her mouth as a blush grew deeper on her face, “I knew I shouldn't have asked-... Wait, really?”

“I don’t see why not,” Weiss hummed, turning back to her work again, “Just… don’t make me regret it.”

Ruby’s eyes widened, her shocked face slowly turning into one of pure happiness, her silver eyes starting to sparkle. Weiss tried to ignore her, placing a hand under her jaw as her face began to warm up. She closed her eyes, trying to keep some of her walls up, but they were crumbling between her fingers.

Ruby let out a range of delighted chirps of happiness as she bounced around the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thank you to my editors  NefariousDreams  and  Corrin! 


	3. Operation ask Weiss on a date is a go!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you like it?” Ruby asked hopefully. Weiss nodded her head, a sigh turning into quirked lips as she turned to face Ruby, whose face was glowing in the sunrise.
> 
> “It’s breathtaking,” Weiss concluded, her azure eyes moving back to the sky. Ruby did the same, her eyes shining as she took in the sight. She had seen sunrises like this many times as a child with Yang atop their roof in Patch, but this morning was special. Having Weiss beside her made it special, a memory that she would cherish for the rest of her life.
> 
> “Kinda like you...” Ruby muttered under her breath, heat wrapping up her neck and spreading across her cheeks.
> 
> “What was that?” Weiss hummed, soft eyes finding Ruby’s furiously blushing face.
> 
> “Um.. nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the late update! We decided to push to update back a week due to White Rose week.
> 
> This chapter is a good one. Please don't forget to comment/kudos/whatever you feel like to support the story. <3

The dorm room was shrouded in darkness, the only light being the moonlight that filtered through the curtains. The right side of the dorm was still, Yang’s loud snoring echoing off the walls as she slept. She had drifted half off the bed, her leg pressed against the wall while her blonde hair fell off the side and covered Blake. 

The faunus was curled into a tight ball, hands grasping her blanket tightly as she slept. Her cat ears flickered in her sleep, moving ever so slightly to stretch out her limbs as she slept. Her human ears had earplugs in them to block out the dragon sleeping above her.

Ruby sat on her own bunk, knees tucked tightly to her chest as she finalized the details of the date that would be starting soon. Had she slept? No, but it wasn’t her fault! Excitement raced through her veins like a drug, keeping her awake as she planned everything down to the smallest detail. 

She checked the clock on her scroll, the sudden bright light blinding her for a second. She hissed quietly, blinking away before finding what she was looking for. Her silver eyes widened as she read the time.

4:52 A.M.

Ruby snapped her journal shut, flinching as it clapped loudly. She shrank into herself in fear, holding her breath as she looked over to Yang and Blake with guilty eyes. Yang snored on like nothing had even happened, and Blake didn’t move save for a quick ear flick. 

Thanking the gods that she hadn’t woken the duo, she carefully crawled off the side of her bed, landing as quietly as she could. She sighed quietly, her eyes landing on Weiss’ sleeping form beneath the sheets of her bed. 

Ruby halted for a second, watching the delicate rise and fall of Weiss' shoulders as she rested, her shimmering white hair falling over the edge of the bed like a cascade of white silk. She was sound asleep, twisted underneath her sheets into a little ball. Her covers had slid down her shoulders, exposing her uncovered collarbone to the twilight.   
  
Ruby took a breath, washing down the growing pit in her stomach. She didn’t understand why she felt so nervous; she had woken Weiss up hundreds of times in the past, both accidentally and purposely, but now she found herself hesitating as she watched the heiress sleep. Something about the rise and fall of her chest comforted the smaller girl immensely. Something about Weiss sleeping so soundly made her feel relaxed like everything would be okay. It made her want to crawl in beside her and stay there, squeezed tightly against the Schnee’s cool skin...

Weiss shifted in her sleep, mumbling softly. The action snapped Ruby out of her trance, the silver eyed girl blinking several times as she came back from whatever planet she had landed on in her head. She didn’t have any time to waste watching Weiss sleep, as calming and… admittedly creepy as it was.

She set her hand carefully on Weiss’ shoulder, before shaking her lightly, “Weiss… wake up...”

The girl beneath her groaned, shivering away from Ruby’s touch with a slurred, “Ruby- go back to bed...” Weiss pulled her sheets closer to her face, nestling into the warmth of her bed. Ruby frowned slightly, shaking her slightly harder this time.

“Weiss~ Come on, we have to leave early or we’ll miss it,” Ruby whined, only to be ignored by the sleeping teen with a mumbled grunt. A sulk grew on Ruby’s face as she tried to figure out a way to get the Schnee out of her bed. The thought of ripping the sheets off came to the front of her mind, but she quickly dusted it away. Weiss would never forgive her if she did that.

The girl’s eyes drifted around the room as she tried to come up with something, before her eyes landed on the fridge. She carefully snuck over to it, opening the freezer and quietly pulling out the ice tray. Luckily for her, there were still a few ice cubes frozen in the silicone, which were already getting glossy with the room’s warmth. 

She quickly tip-toed back to Weiss’ bed side, the ice in her hands already beginning to melt. She crouched down, her eyes landing on her nightdress’ collar. Her silver eyes gleamed with mischief as she carefully pulled Weiss’ hair out of the way.

“Final warning,” Ruby whispered, which caused an annoyed groan to escape from Weiss again. Ruby took that as her cue, pulling the heiress’ collar back and quickly pressing her hand full of ice to the warm skin that waited there.

Weiss immediately shot up with a surprised gasp, her blue eyes suddenly wide in shock. She reached over her shoulder with a hiss, clawing at her back to try and grasp the ice that had fallen through. Ruby snorted quietly, a hand covering her mouth to help contain the choked noises that threatened to escape. Furious blue eyes found the snickering girl in the dark, burning angry holes into Ruby’s silver.

“Ruby!” She hissed through grit teeth, “I am going to-”

“Shhh! Hurry and get dressed so we can gooo,” Ruby ushered, hopping to her feet quickly. Weiss’ anger was quickly mutened, her words catching in her throat as her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness of the room. 

Ruby wasn’t wearing her signature combat clothes, instead she’d put on clothes Weiss didn’t even know she owned. She wore a cuffed, long sleeved, cotton shirt with a half dress/corset style piece that came up to just below her bust. Beneath that she had a red skirt underlayer, complemented by black tights and black boots. Her old red cape was pulled around her shoulders, something, it seemed, Ruby couldn’t go without.

“I-” Weiss stammered before clearing her throat, looking at her scroll that sat charging by the bed in an attempt to draw her dumbstruck gaze away from her partner, “Ruby, it’s still dark outside. Why did you even wake me up?”

“Because we need to start our date, duh!” Ruby whispered, moving behind Weiss to push her towards her dresser of clothes, “And we need to get to the docks, so hurry up!”

Weiss squeaked in surprise as Ruby pushed her towards the dresser, looking over her shoulder as a blush crept up her neck, “Our date?- Couldn’t you have waited until morning like a  _ sane  _ person?”

“Nope!”

Weiss sighed, finally pushing Ruby off her and standing for herself. She should’ve expected something like this. Now she only wished she had gone to bed earlier… “Alright fine. Give me a moment to get changed.”

_ “Finally.” _

-

Weiss was slowly starting to regret accepting Ruby’s offer to go on a date.

She was expecting something a lot… meeker from the younger girl, especially considering how shy she had been asking the Schnee the  _ night before. _ She was fully expecting a stereotypical date: go for dinner, maybe see a movie- but waking up before sunrise and walking to the docks? That had never crossed her mind.

Maybe she should’ve expected the unexpected? Probably. Either way it was too late now, because now Ruby was leading Weiss closer and closer to the Beacon docks, and not the airship ones. They went to the boat docks for whatever reason.

A chill blew through the air, the cool wind wrapping around Weiss before falling away. She had worn something a bit less extravagant as she usually would , wearing a small black dress that was mostly covered by her thick, expensive white coat. After a bit of debating, she had also decided to wear black tights along with her thigh high boots for extra warmth. Not that she needed them per say. The outfit had been complete without them, but it never hurt to be generous.

Plus, Ruby had practically drooled when she saw it. 

“We’re almost there,” Ruby said, a cloud of white forming in front of her mouth as she spoke. It was particularly cold this morning, cold enough for a thin layer of ice to form on the cobblestone in the courtyard. Weiss had been cautious with her steps as to not slip on the frozen surface.

“Are you going to tell me why we’re taking a boat and not an airship?” Weiss asked, before cocking her brow, “Or is that a secret too?”

“You’ll see” mused Ruby. Weiss rolled her eyes, a small smile growing on her face. So far, she hadn’t managed to get any information out of Ruby as to what they were going to be doing, or why she had dragged the Schnee out of bed before sunrise.

“Right.”

Weiss had to admit though, the sky was pretty during this particular time of the day. Pale purples and reds washed through the clouds, a sign of the sun's close arrival. It truly was a sight to behold, especially as it reflected off the water. This was reason enough to be up so early.

“Ah, we didn’t miss it!” Ruby called suddenly, drawing Weiss’ attention forward. 

At the end of the pier sat an old looking boat. It was mainly white, with small red accents and a big crimson turnwheel at the back. Small lights hung from each of the arches that spread across the sides, while a chimney pumped grey smoke from the top. Weiss’ eyes widened, her pace slowing to a halt as she took in the rare sight. 

“Weiss Schnee, meet the SS Osiria,” Ruby explained, turning to judge Weiss’ reaction. Ruby couldn’t tell if it was good or bad. “We’ll be riding her to Vale!”

Weiss couldn’t take her eyes off the boat as they drew closer, “…how?” She had never imagined that she’d call a boat ‘nice’, but there was something about the one in front of her. The archways, the small hanging lights wrapped carefully around the pillars along the sides. It was definitely a rare sight, usually these docks were filled with ugly transporters and cargo ships hauling Dust or food to the school. 

“The Captain brings students to Vale every morning, free of charge.” Ruby explained as she finally reached the edge of the pier, close enough to jump, “I found it one morning on a jog.”

Weiss furrowed her brows in confusion, “Since when do you jog this early in the mornings?”

“I don’t. I used to- as a new year's resolution.” Ruby itched the back of her head with a sheepish grin, “I couldn’t handle the early mornings very well…”

“Ah.”

The boat whistled, a warning that it was almost time to go. Weiss turned to find the bridge that connected it to the dock, and then back to Ruby, who was backing up from where she stood, “Shouldn’t we get on?”

“We are!” Ruby called, crouching into a running stance. Weiss looked between Ruby and the sizable gap from the pier to the boat, before realising what her date was about to do.

“You won’t make that,” Weiss commented, placing a hand on her hip. Ruby flashed her a grin, stretching out her calf.

“Sure I will! I just have to get a good running start.”

Weiss sighed, “I am not rescuing you from the water, Ruby.”

“You won’t need to. I can even do it without my semblance!”

“ _ Really _ ?” Weiss laughed, taking a few steps back from the edge to give Ruby more room, “If you’re so confident,  _ without  _ your semblance, please be my guest.”

Weiss smirked, and Ruby smirked back. Ruby had made dozens of jumps like this before, and she was fast, even without the assisted speed of her semblance. She dug her heel into the cobble, and ran. She quickly gained on the edge, counting her steps until she had to jump. 5..4..3..2..

Jump!

Ruby flew through the air, landing just barely on the edge of the ship. Her arms flailed wildly in the air as she tried to keep her balance, teetering backwards slightly in a moment of panic before finally catching herself and falling forward onto the slippery deck. She let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from her forehead before turning and facing Weiss.

“Okay!” She said, placing her hands on her hips as she backed away from the edge of the boat, “Your turn!”

Weiss stared at her flatly for a moment, before turning away, “Uh, no. I’m getting on the normal way.”

Ruby pouted as Weiss walked along the dock to where the bridge was. Weiss sighed, shaking her head as she crossed the boards onto the boat. Trust Ruby to go the hard way. She was always a daredevil of sorts. Always trying to impress Weiss. Even if she wouldn’t admit it, she  _ was  _ surprised Ruby had made the jump, and equally as impressed considering she didn’t use her semblance.

One of many surprises today, it seemed.

Once she got on, she found Ruby sitting cross legged at the very front of the boat, patting her side as a sign to sit down. The heiress rolled her eyes slightly, moving and sitting with her knees tucked beneath her.

“Maybe next time you should just take the normal option instead of needlessly risking your life,” Weiss mused as she sat down, the boat beginning to drift away from the pier. Ruby laughed, leaning back on her hands at her partner’s words.

“Is that your way of saying you don’t want me to get hurt?” Ruby asked, earning a playful huff from her partner.

“No, I just don’t want a soggy first date, that’s all,” Weiss replied, eyes gazing out across the river.

“So you  _ do  _ want me to get hurt?” Ruby fake whined, earning a playful shove from the girl beside her.

“I didn’t say that either,” she chuckled warmly, glancing back to Ruby as they got further from the school, “You still haven’t told me why we took a boat to Vale. An airship would have been much faster.”

Ruby checked her scroll, then back to the sky, “You’ll see any moment now.”

Weiss frowned, following Ruby’s silver gaze across the river and towards the skyline. Almost as if on cue, a bundle of warm orange began to rise from behind the horizon. It blinded Weiss for a moment, causing her to squint as her eyes adjusted at the sudden brightness. She blinked a few times, before opening her eyes again to stare across the river surface. She gasped.

A ball of orange light began to crawl from beneath the horizon, painting the clouds in stark reds and oranges and chasing away the lilacs and pinks from twilight. Clouds that floated in front were being dyed a palette of warm and cool tones, while the perfectly undisturbed river surface mirrored the sky’s extravagant hues.

Ruby shifted her gentle gaze back to her partner, who was watching the sky with a mesmerised glow in her azure eyes. Her silver hair flowed behind her in the wind, revealing her face in the rising sun. Her eyes were wide in awe, the sunrise reflecting back in them, while her smile stretched wide across her ivory skin. Ruby watched, a pleased feeling blooming at her core.

It was in small moments like these, when Weiss let her walls down, that Ruby could truly see her partner for who she was. Beneath her façade of royalty and selfishness sat a girl who was only beginning to experience life for the first time. Like a baby bird learning to fly away from its crumbling nest. Ruby loved that version of Weiss, and she worked hard to earn such a treat. 

Weiss’ once steel walls were slowly beginning to chip away, and with each chunk that fell, Ruby discovered something new. Like Weiss’ laugh, something that the entire team had only heard for the first time merely weeks ago. Ruby had been stunned silent, and immediately started thinking that they had ‘broken’ the heiress.

Feeling content and fulfilled, Ruby smiled, her hand shifting closer to brush against Weiss’ smaller one. She could feel Weiss flinch slightly at her touch, however she didn’t pull her hand back..

“Do you like it?” Ruby asked hopefully. Weiss nodded her head, a sigh turning into quirked lips as she turned to face Ruby, whose face was glowing in the sunrise.

“It’s breathtaking,” Weiss concluded, her azure eyes moving back to the sky. Ruby did the same, her eyes shining as she took in the sight. She had seen sunrises like this many times as a child with Yang atop their roof in Patch, but this morning was special. Having Weiss beside her made it special, a memory that she would cherish for the rest of her life.

“Kinda like you...” Ruby muttered under her breath, heat wrapping up her neck and spreading across her cheeks.

“What was that?” Weiss hummed, soft eyes finding Ruby’s furiously blushing face.

“Um.. nothing.”

Weiss’ gaze drifted to the water again, blushing at the earnest compliment. She hummed shyly, catching a piece of loose hair and tucking it behind her ear. Ruby took another nervous breath, using her free hand to scratch behind her head.

“Are you.. Uh.. enjoying yourself, so far?”

Weiss shifted her stance, pulling her knees from beneath her and tucking them to her chest to help keep warm. As beautiful as the view was, the winds still carried a cold bite to them. Ruby’s question floated around in her head for a moment, words changing on her tongue as she tried to find the right ones. Ruby definitely had her attention now, but Weiss was always told to play hard to get. She wasn’t going to just drop her walls right away because she was dating someone she already considered a close friend. 

In the end, dates were a way to impress your loved one, to win them over, or at least that was how Weiss always saw it. As a Schnee, she had some form of reputation to uphold, especially considering she was with Ruby in public, and that Ruby was a girl. She had forewarned Ruby the night before to be cautious with her romantic actions, because if Weiss’ father caught wind of her endeavors, there would be almighty fury waiting for her on the other end of her scroll.

After a few seconds of debating, Weiss finally nodded, turning to meet Ruby’s anxious eyes, “I suppose I am.” She saw the apprehension immediately melt in those pools of silver as she spoke, Ruby’s nervousness suddenly fading. Weiss raised an eyebrow teasingly, “But you’re going to have to do a lot more than just showing me a pretty sunrise to win me over.”

Ruby laughed, shuffling closer to Weiss as the Vale City docks began to come into sight, “I know. This is a date you won’t forget, I promise.”

Weiss hummed again, shifting closer to Ruby’s comforting warmth, “I’ll hold you to that.”

The pair remained mostly silent for the remainder of the ride, pressed closely together as the sun rose above the horizon to settle in the sky. The small boat arrived in the docks quickly, where similar sized ships brought fruits and other small goods for sale in markets that morning. By the time they had gotten close enough to lay the boardwalk down, a small fish market was already bustling with people and faunus alike, hoping to get the fresh catch from that morning.

Weiss scrunched up her nose as she followed Ruby through the wooden piers, looking around at the woven baskets of fish that were quickly emptying, “Gods, the smell-”

Ruby turned to look at her partner in surprise, “Never been to a fish market before?”

Weiss shook her head in response, “Not once. Usually all our food and supplies were delivered to the estate and kept in the basement.”

“Wait, have you never been to a market?” Ruby asked again, slightly dumbfounded. Again, Weiss shook her head.

“No.”

“Well then,” the glint in Ruby’s eyes was hard to miss, and Weiss didn’t know if she had to be worried or not, “You are going to love where we are heading.”

Weiss frowned in slight fear, “Don’t tell me your date plan was to bring me to a fish market.” Weiss didn’t know how much longer she could put up with this smell. She never enjoyed fish, only ever eating it because she wouldn’t get anything else if she didn’t. The forced diet had only made her dislike seafood even more. The mere thought of spending the entire morning here made her stomach churn. “If that’s the case, then I’ll just go home now.”

“Well, not exactly,” Ruby explained nervously, “It’s not a fish market…”

“Then what kind of market is it?” Weiss asked, skipping her step to catch up to Ruby so she could walk beside her. Ruby looked nervous, her eyes avoiding Weiss’. That was never a good sign...

A  _ black  _ market.

Ruby had brought Weiss to a black market,  _ on a date. _

_ “Please  _ tell me you're not serious,” Weiss was beginning to regret this. She had heard about several black market setups around the slums of Vale, and this one had been one of the more well known. They had gotten a taxi to an old airship yard, skeletons of old, retired ships having been dumped here. There were cars here as well, beneath it all, rusted and dented beyond recognition from before whatever company had bought the site.

Several cars had been pushed together to form a valley of sorts, a tarp sewn together to make it longer draped across the destroyed vehicles. Several stripped lights were strung high on poles, lighting the dim area with the help of an old functioning engine. The entrance beneath the tarp was drawn back slightly.

_ ‘It looks like a horror movie setting’  _ Weiss thought to herself, gulping nervously.

“Weiss, welcome to your first Market!” Ruby flinched at the glare Weiss was giving her, “A-a-and you don’t like it…” Weiss looked up as a young faunus appeared from under the tarp, looking up to spot the Schnee who was watching, before scowling and walking away. Weiss frowned.

“No.”

“O-oh...” Ruby turned to try and regain Weiss’ rapidly draining eagerness, snatching both of Weiss’ hands in her own out of nowhere. Weiss looked down, her mouth drawn open in surprise as a pink colour filled her cheeks. The Schnee looked up to meet Ruby’s begging eyes, “It’s not as bad as you think. Plus, it’s only to get breakfast. There’s a really good baker who comes here-”

“Ruby, you just brought a Schnee to a black market,” Weiss countered, “I told you not to do anything drastic...”

“It’s not a black market. It’s just… quirky...”   
  
“It’s a market, outside of Vale, in a  _ junkyard _ ,” Weiss growled, “Of course it’s a black market.”

Ruby’s eyes grew downcast, her earlier eagerness dissipated. Weiss’ heart suddenly twisted in guilt, her eyes widening upon seeing how upset Ruby had gotten, “If you’re not comfortable, we can go?” Her eyes brightened ever so slightly again, but the heiress could still see the flicker of shame in her silver eyes, “I’ve got a lot more planned anyway! Come on, let’s go.”

Weiss’ stern determination not to go inside faltered, second thoughts beginning to make their way into her resolve. She frowned, looking up to catch a faunus looking at her, before skittering off upon being noticed. Her frown deepened, unsure.

“Wait,” Weiss mumbled, catching Ruby’s arm as she brushed past her, “Maybe.”

Ruby twisted back to face her date, “Maybe?”

“I don’t want you to be upset for the rest of the morning. Maybe I’ll go in.”

Ruby frowned, catching one of Weiss’ cold hands in her warm one, “But you’re not comfortable right? We don’t have to-”

“I said no such thing,” Weiss snorted, “All I said was you brought a Schnee to a Black Market, which was a foolish idea. You’re asking for something bad to happen.”

Ruby tilted her head, confused, “S-so you want to go in…?”

A sigh, “As a Schnee, no, but potentially as someone else.”

Ruby fell silent, horribly confused. Weiss was staring at her like she did when Ruby did something stupid. She didn’t want to go as a Schnee? But, she couldn’t just not have a surname. That was a part of her identit-  _ Ohhhhh. _

“Oh, I get it! Like a disguise!” Ruby concluded, rousing a quiet chuckle from Weiss.

“Took you long enough, you dunce! The only thing is I don’t have the faintest idea of what I could use.” Weiss hummed, looking around to the abandoned cars with a grimace, “and I’d very much prefer not to wear anything that’s been sitting here for centuries.”

Suddenly, Ruby let go of Weiss’ hands, much to the elder girl’s disappointment, reaching up and unclipping her cape from her shoulders. Weiss watched in surprise as Ruby lifted the cape off of herself and hung it around her date, folding it over her neck before reaching back and pulling the hood up. 

“There! Now nobody will recognise you!” she proclaimed. Weiss was stunned.

“But- This is your cloak!” She stammered. Ruby shrugged.

“Yeah? I’ll be fine without it for an hour or two,” she hummed. Weiss would have sunk into the warmth of the cape there and then, the pure smell of roses rolling off the cape in waves, soothing any remaining fears, and making her drowsy. It held Ruby’s warmth, chasing away the chill that constantly haunted Weiss’ bones. 

It was odd seeing Ruby without her cloak, Weiss noticed. Her shoulders were much... broader than Weiss had thought they were, years of practice with Crescent Rose having bulked her out. Ruby wearing such a skin-tight shirt didn’t help either, the fabric sticking to the rigid curves along her arms. Typically Ruby's loose dress hid the majority of her… highlights… Weiss felt a heat prickle up her neck as a blush made itself known.

“I- okay, I’ll wear it.,” Weiss sighed, pulling the red cloak together, hiding her completely from prying eyes. She sucked in a breath for the one she had let out, straightening her stance, a regal air gathering around her, “ _ But _ we leave this place the instant I say so.”

Ruby lifted her hand in a salute, those muscles Weiss had been admiring earlier flexing beneath the knitted fabric, “Yes ma’am! Let’s get going before all the good stuff is gone.” 

Weiss cautiously followed Ruby’s fearless advance beneath the tarp, anxiously pulling at the hood as they entered the main area. String lights lit each ‘stall’, if they could be called that. Hundreds of people were inside, carrying bags full of items they’d bought ( _ illegally _ , considering where they were), while others crowded the merchants. Weiss kept close to Ruby, practically clinging to her back as they made their way deeper into the market.    
  
She looked around, taking note of the types of people that were there. Most of them were like her, caped and trying to remain anonymous in such an area, while others wore nothing to hide their identities. A mother with children trudged their way through the crowds, horns sticking from their heads, while the baby held to her chest with rags cried loudly. Weiss watched as a young cat boy, maybe 13, picked an apple off a merchant’s table, causing an unholy uproar from the faunus merchant. 

Weiss frowned suspiciously, looking around a bit more. It seemed everyone she looked at held some type of faunus trait; ears, tails and wings attached to most people that she looked to. Guilt pooled in her stomach as she leaned closer to Ruby, keeping her voice low.

“Why are they all faunus?” She whispered.

“They’re mostly poor Faunus from other continents,” Ruby explained quickly, “A lot of them are ex-miners. They sell their old gear to try and make a profit. There’s some humans here as well.”

“I… I see,” Weiss mumbled sadly, her ocean eyes growing cloudy as she began to regret her own maiden name. If they were miners, the chances that they worked for her Father’s company were too high to count as a chance. Many of the sellers that had mining equipment on the table were older, and the rare few that were young were covered in scars and missing limbs. One of the merchants caught her staring, sending her an annoyed glare and a growl as he bit down on a twig. Weiss immediately snapped her gaze back to Ruby, gulping nervously.

“Ah, there they are,” Ruby said suddenly, gaining Weiss’ attention. Ruby turned to lead Weiss over to a sweet smelling stall, covered with baked goods and baskets filled with bread. A young fox faunus sat there, eyes brightening as she saw Ruby come closer. Her small ears perked up, disturbing a sleeping boy that had been resting on her shoulder. A sibling, Weiss guessed.

“Ruby!” the girl spoke, her voice dripping with an Atlesian accent. Weiss’ eyes widened in shock. She didn’t look Atlesian; her skin was sallow and freckled. Most people in Atlas had pale skin. 

“Hi Amber,” Ruby chirped, a smile growing on her face, “It’s good to see you here!”

“I wouldn’t say it’s good to be here,” she laughed, coaxing a giggle from Ruby too. A pang of jealousy hit Weiss like a lightning strike, fire shooting through her. She stepped forwards, her plan of hanging back gone out the window. The way those grassy eyes were staring at  _ her _ Ruby made her skin bristle, her eyes flickering like an icy fire.

Amber’s eyes flicked up to meet Weiss’, a laid back grin forming on her lips as she leaned against her palm, “And who’s this mighty fine lass? And wearing your cape, no less?”

Ruby looked to find Weiss standing beside her, a nervous blush growing across her cheekbones, “Oh, uh, Amber this is W-”

Weiss’ heart plummeted to her stomach. These people couldn’t know who she was. If they did, gods know what could happen to them. This place was filled to the brim with dangerous weapons and dust. They could be killed in seconds, aura or not. She decided on the first thing that came to mind-

“ _ Her girlfriend _ ,” Weiss blurted suddenly, a deep shade of red having settled in her cheeks as her own words escaped her lips. Ruby froze, her eyes wide in shock as the blush from before grew rampant along her skin. Weiss could feel her silver eyes glaring at her in disbelief, but she held her annoyed stare towards the fox, her face practically glowing with the heat coming from it. Amber cocked an eyebrow, a single canine peeking from beneath her grinning lips.

“Do I sense jealousy, Miss ‘her girlfriend’?” she teased, a playful glow in her eyes. Weiss was sure her veins practically bulged out of her head, growing stiff as she devised a sentence that encompassed all her growing embarrassment and rage. Ruby could practically see her anger boiling off in her aura, broken sounds coming from her as she picked her jaw up from the floor.

“She.. I-.. Y-yes,” Ruby finally choked out, “This is my g-girlfriend.”

Amber snorted slightly, leaning back from the bench with a breath, “Whatever you say Ruby. I ain’t one to shame someone, especially such a frequent customer.”

“Frequent cust-...” Weiss echoed, turning and pinning Ruby with a bitter glare. How did she not notice Ruby’s apparent  _ frequent  _ visits to such dangerous places?! If she had known, she would’ve stopped it long ago, whether her partner liked it or not. She doubted Yang knew about this- well, then again it was likely Yang had introduced her to black markets in the first place, knowing her. How had Ruby even gotten here in the past without Weiss noticing? Weiss always kept tabs on her teammates... “How long have you been coming here?!”

Ruby looked at her sheepishly, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, “Uh- a few months..?”   
  
_ “What?!” _

“Not to butt in on your lovers quarrel or anything,” Amber interrupted, cutting Weiss’ prepped tangent before she even got to start, “but here’s your usual, plus a bagel for ‘the girlfriend’.” She winked at the heiress, rousing a gentle pink across her cheeks. Weiss grit her teeth together, nails digging into her palms beneath the cape. She certainly had the  _ attitude  _ of an Atlesian.

Ruby reached for the plastic bag, looking inside of it before smiling in satisfaction. She reached into her pockets, pulling out a few coins and handing them to the cunning fox that Weiss was beginning to really hate, “Thanks Amber. Be seeing you?”

The fox huffed, folding her arms over her chest as a glint formed in her eyes, “If you survive being her girlfriend, maybe. Just gotta catch me first.”

Ruby half-laughed, rubbing the back of her head, Weiss eagly backing away from the stall as they said their goodbyes, before she stopped. Something felt… off, just enough to where she couldn’t set her finger on it. She scanned the crowd of thinning faunus, but she found nothing. An unsettling feeling sprouted from her chest, a worried crease forming on her features.

She scanned the crowds again. For an instant, she could’ve sworn she spotted someone in a white mask watching her from behind a weapons booth, a cloak draped around them. Weiss frowned, taking a step back to try and see who it was. When she did, the figure disappeared into the moving people, lost in the shapes of black. Weiss frowned, gently tugging Ruby’s elbow as dread set in.

“Weiss?” Ruby's voice pitched in worriedly, having noticed her partner’s confused glares. Weiss pulled back, eyes still locked in the same place, tucking the red cape around herself tighter. She looked freaked out, or like she had seen a ghost, “Did you see something?”

“Where did he...” She murmured quietly, completely ignoring Ruby’s question, still watching the spot where her stalker had been. She could feel the worry and concern radiating off her partner in waves. 

“What did you see?” Ruby asked again, a whisper of protectiveness in her voice. Weiss shook her head, waving her off as she recomposed herself with a steady breath.

“Nothing. It must have been my imagination,” she shrugged. It must’ve been. The man- whatever it was, was wearing a mask. They probably weren’t even looking at  _ her  _ specifically, just her nerves getting the best of her. She was just paranoid, “It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?” Ruby pressed. Weiss sighed heavily, placing a hand on her hip as she stood.

“Yes Ruby, I’m positive. Now, can we go?” She asked, “Your cloak is  _ extremely  _ warm.” A lie, but she hoped it would steer Ruby off what had just happened.

“Oh, yeah, it can get really warm suuuper quickly,” Ruby tied her bag into a knot and stuffed it into her pocket, “Let’s get going then. We’ve got the whole day to burn.”

“Great,” Weiss huffed, a smile returning to her face as Ruby began to walk through the crowds, “Finally some progress. Remind me to plan the date next time.”

“Hey! I’m trying- I was hungry!”

The bickering pair quickly made their way into the crowds, disappearing from sight.

A masked figure watched as the huntress duo disappeared, having gone unnoticed atop the stack of cars. He jumped down, landing beside Amber, who looked up to him unimpressed.

“Pay up,” she snarled, holding out her hand, “Or who knows what I’ll do with your information.”

“Was the Schnee with her?” He demanded, dropping a black sack of coins into her outstretched hand. The fox opened the string around it, her eyes sparkling when she saw the amount of money on the inside. The young boy beside her nodded, picking up his mask from beneath the stall.

“White hair, scar over her left eye, attitude. It was her alright,” He hummed, pulling his black cloak around his shoulders. The other hooded figure looked back to the fox, who was happily putting the Lien into her pockets.

“Did they mention anything else?” He asked. The fox shrugged, leaning back into a stack of hay behind her.

“The Schnee is a lesbian. That girl with her was ‘her girlfriend’ apparently,” she explained, before frowning slightly, “Anything else is gonna cost ya.”

The smaller boy looked to the stalker, before shrugging and phasing into the crowds. The taller figure followed, reaching up to press a hand to his earpiece. 

“Target is leaving the market. Can confirm that Rose is with her,” he growled lowly, “They seem to be romantically involved.”

An excited snort came from the other end of the line,“ _ Well now, I wasn’t expecting to hear that!” _

The male frowned, “What are your orders?”

“ _ Follow them _ ,” the voice answered, “ _ I want to personally pay a visit to Snow White and Little Red...” _


	4. The things we fall for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “W-Weiss?” Ruby stammered, distracting the Schnee from her spiraling thoughts. Weiss hummed in response, watching the lake surface for a moment more before glancing over at Ruby. Ruby’s face had turned scarlet as she fumbled nervously. Weiss frowned, placing a hand on her hip.
> 
> “What’s wrong with you?” Weiss asked. Ruby looked up to her, mouth open, before closing it again. She attempted to form a sentence, however, only broken pieces of words came through. Weiss’ frown grew deeper, “What? I can’t hear you when you're mumbling like that.”
> 
> “C-can.. can I, uh..” Ruby closed her eyes, practically glowing red, “K-k...iss… you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally getting into the meat of the story now- It gets good from here on out. Also thank you Nef for the title help!
> 
> Please don't forget to kudos/comment/bookmark if you really enjoy it. Keeps morals up!

Weiss took a heavy, calming breath as the cool spring air cleared her head from the stuffiness of the black market. It had been far too hot and crowded for the heiress to stay around that long. The tightly packed mass of faunus and occasional humans giving her a suffocating taste of claustrophobia. She preferred to be in a colder environment, true to her experience of growing up in Atlas. Living in a chilled, marble-clad home with the addition of Atlas’ eternal winter tended to do that to people. Apparently, it also ran in her blood-line... something akin to having a fairly good tolerance of harsh, sub-zero weather. According to the family practitioner, Weiss had inherited it. It predominantly favoured the female half of the family, but it had skipped Winter. 

Altogether, the Black Market had been rather unpleasant. Then there was the peculiar feeling of being watched back at Amber’s booth.

In the end, she’d blamed it on the heat making her uncomfortable and jittery. Not to mention, they were in a black market full of hundreds of people in the presence of many prying eyes. She would have been more surprised if she  _ wasn’t  _ being watched by at least one person. She’d walked in expecting something, and that’s what she had gotten. The strange sensation had disappeared as soon as they’d left anyway, thankfully. 

Weiss now busied herself with dusting red fluff off her white coat, picking the many clumps of fuzz between two fingers and letting them blow away in the wind. They were remnants of Ruby’s cloak, which she returned once she had started to feel safe again. Ruby had assisted her in the tedious removal of the red leftovers on Weiss’ back upon noticing them, the tufts standing out like a sore thumb on the heiress’ pristine white fabric. Weiss’ annoyance hadn’t gone unnoticed, but she’d gotten over it pretty quickly. It was an old, red cloak on a  _ white  _ coat. There was bound to be some sort of residue afterwards.

However, the flowery smell of roses had stubbornly clung to her jacket, though she didn’t particularly mind it. It brought back long-lost memories of her playing in the rose garden with Winter at the estate during those long summer days, running around and through bushes of red and white flowers in an ornate game of hide and seek. They had been her Mother’s pride and joy, carefully cared for by the gardeners, and Weiss had ended up trampling some of them in her playfulness. She had gotten a stern scolding that day, as well as a few dozen band-aids on her ripped up arms and legs, and thorns pulled from her boots.   
  
Ruby let out a loud sigh beside her, dropping her scroll to her side with a gentle laugh, “I’m the worst at this whole romantic thing, aren’t I?”

Weiss was slightly taken aback by the sudden statement, a stunned look on her face. Ruby wasn’t the best, no, not by a long shot, but she definitely wasn’t the worst romantically. Jaune still held that title, and embarrassingly so. Weiss had to stop keeping count of the amount of times Jaune had appeared out of nowhere playing his guitar. He was good at the instrument, Weiss would admit, but his songwriting skills needed improvement. Then, there was that one time he’d sent her a poorly written love poem, which she’d promptly returned covered in grammar corrections and rewording. Frustratingly, Jaune  _ still  _ didn’t take the hint, where it was very clearly visible that she  _ wasn’t  _ interested but  _ Pyrrha  _ was. Weiss prayed for that poor girl's choice in men sometimes.

“I wouldn’t say that you’re the  _ worst _ , there’s still Jaune...” Weiss said, trying to ignore the glare originating from her partner, “But perhaps you  _ do  _ have some more to learn.”

“Jaune is hopeless. I feel bad for Pyrrha,” Ruby mumbled.

“I don’t particularly agree with her choice of… idiotic men either, but I would appreciate it if she acted soon so that Jaune would leave me alone.”

Ruby’s defeated sigh made Weiss’ heart crack, a sad sulk forming on Ruby’s face. The brunette rubbed the back of her neck nervously, peeking a glance over to Weiss, “Maybe you should plan the dates from now on.”

Weiss scoffed, “That’s assuming I’ll go on another one with you.”   
  
Ruby’s eyes widened in shock, before dulling again. She chuckled lowly, her shoulders slouching slightly, “It was that bad, huh?”

_ No _ , no she didn’t mean it that way. Weiss’ heart missed a beat, and she immediately jumped to cover her poor choice of words, “It was a joke, Ruby. Of course I’ll go on another date with you.” Note to self, Weiss, there’s a time and place for sarcasm and that definitely hadn’t been it. 

Ruby nodded quietly, sending another shot of guilt through Weiss. She frowned slightly to herself, upset for having ruined whatever moment had been forming between them. Weiss swallowed her stubborn pride and took a hesitant step closer to Ruby was practically able to feel her partner's aura rubbing against her own, pulsing gently.

Ruby looked over to her partner in astoundment, but Weiss was trying to ignore the sudden tightness between them. She wasn’t a very… affectionate person. She usually didn’t like being physically close to people, but this was an exception, or at least that's what she told herself. 

“So… I  _ may  _ or may not have based it off one of the books Mom would read to me as a little girl,” Ruby admitted with a blush, coaxing a gentle laugh from Weiss.

“Why am I not surprised?” Weiss purred, catching the relieved smile that appeared on Ruby’s lips. Weiss let the gap fall between them again at the lightened mood, immediately missing the soft, rhythmic pulse of Ruby’s warm aura against her own. Ruby’s aura was friendly and welcoming, much like her personality. Weiss couldn’t help but wonder what her own felt like. Was it cold? Distant? Closed off? She would never know.

“I just… How do you set up a date? It’s so difficult!” Ruby threw her hands in the air in frustration, the sudden movement startling Weiss from her thoughts, “I spent hours planning this last night, like, I didn’t even  _ sleep _ , and it still turned out terrible!”

_ ‘Well, I wouldn’t say it was terrible _ ’ Weiss thought to herself, _ ‘It had some charming moments.’ _

“How would you do it?” Ruby asked. “If you were to plan a date?”

Weiss shared a grin at Ruby, raising a brow teasingly, “Now, if I told you that it’d ruin the surprise.”

“Aw come on  _ Weiss _ ,” Ruby whined, slouching playfully, bringing out her signature puppy-pout face, “Please? I bet you’re like, the master of planning fancy dates.”

“Nope-”  _ Nope _ ? Oh gods, Ruby’s mannerisms were rubbing off on her too. She shut her eyes to avoid the pout facing her way, “Absolutely not.”

“Did you just say nope?” Ruby asked, shocked at the use of slang from the heiress. Weiss clamped her mouth shut as Ruby caught onto her slip up, “Did _ Weiss Schnee,  _ Miss Big-fancy-words-i-can’t-pronounce, just say  _ ‘nope’ _ ?”

“I did not,” Weiss growled in frustration, the feeling of fondness leaving her chest in a cold snap. She folded her arms tightly across her chest, a resounding snort punctuating her point. Ruby’s grin only grew bigger at the sight of Weiss’ irritation.

“Are you sure? Cause I could’ve sworn you said ‘nope’,” Ruby insisted, her silver pools glinting in the patchy forest light, “Have I finally gotten through to the Ice Queen?”

“The only thing that’ll be through is your nose, if you don’t stop.” Weiss threatened with a snarl. It was hollow, of course. Weiss would never hurt her teammate. She’d much rather deal with her father’s wrath than hurt her own partner. However, it still worked. Doubt flashed across Ruby’s eyes.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Can you bet your nose on that?”

“Okay okay, so the ice queen is still in there,” Ruby came off her teasing high with a quiet giggle, her wide grin resting into a smaller, more content one. A brief silence fell between them, not lasting long before Ruby spoke up again, “But.. Did you enjoy the date, at all?”

Weiss hummed, the sounds and smell of fresh water hitting her senses. She could hear a rushing stream nearby, hidden beneath the growth of the bushes and roots of the forest trail they were on. The trees were dense and thick, lush with bright green leaves. 

“I suppose you can organise something when you put your mind into it.” Weiss said, her ocean blue eyes scanning the forest around her, “But that remains to be seen.” Ruby frowned, her brows knitting together.

“Is that an insult or a compliment?” she asked. Weiss turned to smirk at her.

“What do you think it is?” Weiss asked. Ruby opened her mouth to debate, before closing it with a pop. She hummed, itching her head as she thought. Weiss rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a huff. Gods, Ruby could be such a dolt sometimes.

“...A compliment?- Oh, hey we’re here already!”

Weiss lifted a brow, twisting around to attempt to make sense of where ‘here’ was. To the Schnee, they had just stopped in the middle of the trail path. “We are? But there’s nothing here.”

“You’re not looking close enough,” Ruby said cheekily, having moved closer to a fallen tree branch that lay along the trail that looked like it could’ve been a younger tree. She lifted it, the rotten wood crunching at the unwanted motion, some of the bark falling off. Weiss grimaced, looking unsurely up at Ruby again.

“Surely you’re not serious?”

“Come on, it won’t break or anything,” Ruby persuaded, bouncing the log slightly in her hand to prove it’s strength. Instead, a strip of bark fell onto the ground, wriggling with wood worms and lice. Weiss’s face twisted in disgust, looking from the fallen bark to Ruby again. Ruby looked at the bark on the ground, pushing it away with her toe, “Uhh, except that part.”

“...Gods,  _ fine _ .” Weiss grumbled, carefully moving forward beneath the old tree with reluctance. Ruby followed after her eagerly, dropping the rotting wood with a heavy thump before rustling forward and leading Weiss through the overgrowth. There was an old, flattened path beneath their feet, an old route long since taken back by the forest.

Weiss carefully followed Ruby, one hand covering her face from the sharp branches that snapped back as Ruby led, another pushing the smaller ones out of her way. Branches and old leaves crunched beneath her heels. Ruby suddenly burst into a clearing in front of her, turning back to hold up the last few hanging leaves. Weiss closed her eyes as she pushed herself clear, squinting at the sudden light again.

In front of them lay a small lake, circled by the thick woodland. A family of ducks quacked furiously as they swam across the surface of the water, scaring away the hunting wrens nearby. The water was practically untouched, clear to see through in a rich colour of cerulean. She could see schools of fish beneath the water as well, avoiding nearby hunting birds as they swam to deeper water.

It was so… peaceful.

“It’s pretty isn’t it?” Ruby asked, watching the surface herself, “I found it by accident when Zwei got off his leash.”

“It is,” Weiss breathed, her eyes following the small family of ducks swimming across to the next bank. One was falling behind, swimming furiously to catch up with its family. The mother duck reached shore, turning to watch as each of her babies followed after her. She didn’t leave until the last duckling caught up, shaking its little tail free of water before racing to catch up with it’s family.

“The water kinda reminds me of your eyes…” Ruby hummed quietly, a blush growing on Weiss at the compliment, “That’s why I brought you here. Plus, I didn’t know what else to do, so.”

Weiss practically choked on her own saliva as she struggled to find an appropriate response. She was used to being complimented, she had been getting compliments all her life, so why was her brain shutting down when Ruby gave her one? Most of the compliments she had received in the past often felt empty or hollow, devoid of any meaning behind it. Ruby’s carried care, and love. Perhaps that was why.

“Ahem,” she cleared her throat, recovering from her brief coughing fit, the heat across her cheeks growing more intense. She turned to find Ruby watching her with a warm glow in her eyes, “Well, I think your eyes are quite beautiful too.”

Ruby beamed brighter, a soft red forming along her cheekbones too. Weiss took a cool breath, her heart beating like a jackhammer in her chest. She wasn’t used to moments like this. These pure moments that fell between them and lingered in the air. It brought a sense of comfort to the heiress, something that she wasn’t used to. 

She kept telling herself not to get used to this, that, if she found herself really falling in love with Ruby, she wouldn’t be able to climb back out again. It wasn’t her choice. In the end, it was Father who chose, even if Weiss didn’t like his choice and it sickened her. A memory came to her mind, like a piercing ice shard, her heart clenching painfully as it played back behind her eyes.

_ Long halls stretched far ahead of Weiss, perfectly polished marble and glass reflecting her face at every moment possible. Stained glass shone a rainbow of blues throughout the halls, painting the hall in splotches of royals and cyans. It was a place burned into Weiss’ memory from a young child playing hopscotch on the colors. _

_ Weiss’ heels echoed across the empty space, her mind set on heading to one room in particular. A pair of double doors sat alone on the left side of the hall, the only room that side of the building. Weiss came to a stop before them, hand hovering over the golden handle. She took a grounding breath, straightening her posture, before knocking. _

_ The doors opened by themselves before her knuckle even met the wood, swinging open fully to reveal the office Weiss had grown to fear. Her father stood at the desk in the center, staring at her disapprovingly. Weiss felt cold sweat run down her back, gulping as she moved forward. _

_ “I was requested?” Weiss asked, her voice carrying an air of fear.  _

_ Her father stood to his feet, walking around from behind his desk and stopping in front of his youngest daughter. Weiss met his gaze, finding familiar fury and hate burning behind them. Her eyes widened in surprise, before his hand lifted into the air. _

_ Slap. _

_ Weiss’ eyes watered as the tingling crossed her face, a hand coming up to touch the raw area. She winced, looking to her father again for an explanation. _

_ “I will not have a lesbian daughter in my family!” He roared, his voice shaking Weiss. The heiress made a weak noise in fear, bringing her arms up to defend herself. _

_ “I’m sorry!” _

_ “Do not whimper pathetically! You are a Schnee! You do not grovel!” Jacques yelled. Weiss quickly wiped the forming tears from her eyes, trying to calm her rampaging emotions.  _

_ “Y-yes sir.” _

Weiss took a heavy breath, flushing the painful images from her mind. Gods help her if Father ever found out about this. Weiss would never be allowed out of his sight again, never mind near another woman in her life. Knowing his temper, he’d marry her out to the first man that came forth, who had money of course. That was all that mattered to him; money and the family’s public image. As long as the future heiress had a wealthy husband who would help the company in the future, he wouldn’t care how Weiss felt.

What would happen to Ruby then? Would Weiss ever see her again? She’d be like a princess in a castle in those fairytales; Locked away until a prince came to save her, protected by an icy dragon who’d let no-one pass. Weiss’ heart clenched. She didn’t want a life without Ruby, not after everything she’d gone through with her. Weiss had experienced what life really was outside four marble walls, and it was all thanks to her.

“W-Weiss?” Ruby stammered, distracting the Schnee from her spiraling thoughts. Weiss hummed in response, watching the lake surface for a moment more before glancing over at Ruby. Ruby’s face had turned scarlet as she fumbled nervously. Weiss frowned, placing a hand on her hip.

“What’s wrong with you?” Weiss asked. Ruby looked up to her, mouth open, before closing it again. She attempted to form a sentence, however, only broken pieces of words came through. Weiss’ frown grew deeper, “What? I can’t hear you when you're mumbling like that.”

“C-can.. can I, uh..” Ruby closed her eyes, practically glowing red, “K-k...iss… you?”

Weiss was stunned by the question, a pink colour slowly spreading across her face. She bit her tongue, snorting quietly, before starting to laugh softly. Ruby’s face changed from flushed to embarrassed, her eyes growing wide.

“H-Hey! Why are you laughing?! I’m serious!”

“I know- I know,” Weiss took a breath, calming herself, “I’ve just never been  _ asked  _ to be kissed.”

“O-oh,” Ruby looked away, humiliation hanging over her like a shadow. Weiss rolled her eyes, shuffling closer to Ruby again. She tenderly grabbed her chin, turning her so that their eyes met.

“I didn’t say no.”

Ruby’s skin practically warmed beneath her fingers, her slatey eyes locking with Weiss’ sapphire ones. Weiss’ eyes then flicked down to Ruby’s lips for a beat, before returning to her watching gaze. Something inside her was hungry, desperate,  _ excited _ . Time was slowing to a standstill, Weiss’ pulse growing louder in her ears with each tick. Ruby was so close, but she was hesitating. Weiss licked the back of her lips, slowly growing impatient. Her hand reached to grasp Ruby’s cloak, her fingers tightening around the soft red fabric securely, before tugging her closer, sealing the distance between them.

Weiss eagerly pressed her lips against Ruby’s gasping ones, a sweet taste meeting her mouth. Ruby hummed against Weiss’ lips in surprise, her hands hovering unsurely above Weiss’ shoulder for a beat, before moving to settle on her shoulders and slowly down to the center of her back. Weiss’ grip was still tight around Ruby’s cloak, not allowing the girl to pull back until  _ she  _ was ready to let go. If Ruby wouldn’t kiss her, then Weiss would show her how it was done.

She could feel Ruby gently bite down on Weiss’ lip, taking a well-timed breath between movements before diving back in for more. Weiss had to wonder where Ruby had learned to kiss like this. She was tender and shy, a stark difference to what the heiress was used to. She definitely preferred this. 

Ruby squirmed beneath Weiss’ grasp, running out of breath quickly mid-kiss. She lifted her hands to Weiss’ shoulders, tapping them frantically as a sign for a time-out. Weiss reluctantly let go, leaning back softly while Ruby pulled back with a loud, breathless gasp, a trail of saliva snapping as she pulled away. Weiss wiped the trail of wet down her chin with her sleeve, looking away in embarrassment as Ruby recollected herself. The brunette had stars in her eyes, touching her lips as if to feel they were still hers.

“Whoa.”

Weiss grew embarrassed, her sleeve still covering her lips. She was blushing furiously, “W-well? H-how was that?”

“That was… amazing,” Ruby mumbled, looking back up at Weiss with a look of excitement, “Can we do it again?”

Weiss scoffed, the blush growing bigger across her face, she averted her eyes. "Would you stop asking-" Ruby took a careful step towards her and Weiss immediately went quiet. The other girl came closer and the familiar sensation of her aura touched her skin; Ruby's expression was soft and her deep silver eyes asked a quiet question, patiently waiting for Weiss' approval.

Where had all this sudden confidence come from? A minute ago she’d been asking for a kiss… and now she was doing.. this.

“Ruby?-” Weiss breathed, the closeness making her heart skip beats. Ruby hummed, leaning close enough for Weiss to feel a hot sigh tickle her cheek. Their noses were millimeters apart, eyes glued to each other. Seconds ticked past at an agonizingly slow pace. The world didn’t matter anymore, at least not to the heiress. Father be damned, she loved the girl in front of her. 

Ruby pressed a gentle kiss to Weiss’ parted lips, a calloused hand reaching up to stroke her cheek. The kiss was loving and tender, but cautious, as if she was afraid to push her limits. Weiss let a weak moan loose from the back of her throat, parting her lips. Ruby shyly pressed her tongue to meet Weiss’. Weiss let out a squeak in surprise, but didn’t shy away. Her tongue met Ruby’s halfway, her heart hammering at the sensation.

Weiss’ world had become nothing but colours and sensations. Ruby’s lips were soft and sweet against her own, her tongue careful but demanding. Roses, the same flowery smell that had clung to her jacket swallowed her whole, almost suffocating her. Her fingers sat against Ruby’s cotton shirt, carefully working their way down her toned body. 

Her body was warm, her entire frame tingling as Ruby slowly took control of her. Ruby pulled back for a moment, taking a cool breath. Weiss’ vision was blurred, hot breaths escaping in pants as she tried to catch her lost air. Ruby didn’t hesitate in her advance, moving to Weiss’ soft neck to kiss just beneath her ear, nibbling gently. Weiss bit her lip, her eyes hazy. She was losing her mind.

Weiss’ head drifted up as Ruby moved, nibbling tenderly at Weiss’ throat. The heiress swallowed, her body heaving as it grew warmer. Her stomach felt like it was made of lava, practically melting her core. Ruby’s hands drifted, one landing against her hip while the other reached further down. Weiss’ legs trembled, whining as Ruby landed a sharper bite to her neck.

“R-Ru..” Weiss’ words were lost in a whine as Ruby sucked on skin, drooped silver eyes watching her carefully. Her fingers kneaded at Ruby’s cotton shirt, desperate. Her breaths were hot, warmed from the fire in her stomach. Gods, what was happening to her? She was practically melting...

A shrill whistle made both girls freeze.

Ruby jerked away from Weiss in an instant, immediately stiff with horror. Weiss pulled her hands back to her own chest, following Ruby’s startled gaze with her own pissed one. Things had been starting to get good and now some annoying whelp had ruined her chance. Her eyes landed on a tall figure emerging from the bushes, an ice cold wind rapidly quenching the fire in her core. 

“What a show!” He clapped mockingly, dusting the leaves from his shoulders as he came closer, “Nothing gets me more fired up than two girls making out in the woods.”

“Torchwick.” Ruby growled, voice low and dangerous. Ruby quickly got into a protective stance in front of Weiss, her arm drawn out to defend her at any cost. Weiss shook her head clear of her wavy vision, her hand reaching for Myrtenaster, only to grasp empty air. Her heart fell into her stomach. She hadn’t expected to need Myrtenaster, so she had left it in their dorms this morning. A quick glance to Ruby’s back showed that she hadn’t brought Crescent Rose either.

“Nice to see you again, Red,” Roman feigned happily, swinging his cane through the air before planting it into the ground. He leaned to the side so that Weiss could see him past Ruby, tipping his hat to Weiss as he did, “Snow Pea.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes, activating her aura across her body, “What do you want?”

Ruby glanced at Weiss as she emerged from behind the caped girl and stood beside her, flashing a look that Weiss didn’t catch before turning back to Roman. Weiss could protect herself, she was still a huntress even without Myrtenaster. Roman hummed, plucking the cigar from his mouth and throwing it into the water. Ruby and Weiss both glared at him.

“What I want is simple, m’dear,” Torchwick said, watching the cigar sink into the water before looking back to the two girls. Both Huntresses grew tense, ready for a fist fight if it came down to it. Roman stopped a few feet in front of both girls, eyes looking up and down Weiss, and stopping at her chest, before back to her face, “I’ve been sent to retrieve you.”

Weiss followed the criminal's eyes to her chest before covering herself with a disgusted scoff, anger flooding through her body. Ruby growled, having noticed Torchwick’s line of sight, “You’re insane if you think she’ll just go with you.”

Roman laughed, “Oh Little Red, always the hero.”

He clicked his fingers, the trees and bushes coming to life as White Fang burst from their hiding places. They were surrounded in seconds, faunus of every type circling them as they waited for further orders. “But she’s still coming with me.” 

Weiss flicked around to defend Ruby’s back, her eyes wide in unease. There was no way they could take them all on without their weapons. It was suicide.

“How did you even find us?” Weiss asked over her shoulder, her fists held in front of her in a form of defense. 

“Your friend from the market isn’t very loyal,” Roman hummed, “Sold you out the second she saw the Lien.”

Weiss turned to look at Ruby, who’s face had shifted into a look of betrayal, “Amber…?” She hesitated, looking back at Weiss with an unspoken apology in her eyes. Weiss looked away. It wasn’t Ruby’s fault, but this had definitely explained the way she had been feeling in the markets. They would figure that out later.

“Now,” Roman clapped his hands together, “As much as I’d  _ love  _ to hang around, we’ve got a schedule to keep. Let’s wrap this up, boys.”

The faunus around them creeped closer, their feet crunching over dead leaves and twigs, brandishing weapons in their hands from behind their cloaks. Weiss narrowed her eyes nervously, her eyes flickering to each of the closest faunus. She wasn’t going down without a fight.   
  


Suddenly, there was a sharp prick in her leg. She hissed in surprise, looking down to look at what had just hit her. Sticking out of her calf was what looked like a dart, the glass vial attached to it already emptied into her system. Her head quickly grew woozy, exhaustion climbing across her body. Her eyes darted around for the source, finding a deer faunus still hidden in the bushes nearby with what looked like a blowgun in its hands.

“Oh  _ no _ ,” she croaked, staggering against Ruby’s back. The reaper turned around in concern, her eyes landing on a now swaying Weiss. The heiress could hardly see, her vision swimming in waves as she struggled to stay awake against the darts dosage.

“Ru-..” She attempted to wheeze a warning to one of the Ruby that had doubled in her vision in front of her, but her tongue felt like it was made of lead. Black clouds began to form in the corners of her eyes, her knees suddenly giving out beneath her.

“Weiss?!” Ruby cried out, catching the nearly unconscious girl as she fell forward into her arms. Ruby collapsed to the floor, panic seizing her chest as she cradled the slumped body of her partner in her arms. Weiss was fighting to keep her eyes open, her blue eyes dulled as she began to doze off. Ruby felt a flare of fear clench her heart, looking back to Roman in rage.

_ “What did you do to her?!”  _ she roared, clutching Weiss’ head tightly to her chest as the Schnee finally fell asleep. She shook Weiss lightly, begging her to wake up beneath her breath. Roman came closer, unthreatened by the sight of the furious huntress.

“Don’t worry your little head, Red. She’s just having a nap,” he hummed, nodding to some of the grunts, who moved forward without hesitance, “Now, say goodbye to your girlfriend.”

Ruby looked up as some of the masked men came forth, reaching to pull Weiss from Ruby’s tight embrace. “ _ No _ !” She growled loudly, her silver eyes glowing in anger as she spat, “ _ Stay AWAY from her _ !!”

Ruby hadn’t noticed Roman pressing his cane against her back before it was too late, a round of paralysing dust rushing through her body with a scream. She let out a grunt of pain as it stopped, slouching over Weiss’ form protectively. She glared at the grunts, an almost animalistic glow in her eyes. 

“Don’t- _Don’t_ touch...her,” Ruby warned between breaths. Her body was sore, and suffering the aftereffects of the paralysis blast. She could hardly even breathe. Roman lifted her body up by the hood, pulling her away from Weiss with a violent jerk. Ruby’s stomach twisted as Weiss’ head thumped on the ground, struggling to get free from Roman’s grasp, “Weiss..! _Weiss! Let go! Weiss,_ _wake up_!”

“Weiss has the highest dosage of Midazolam humanly survivable flowing through her veins right now. She won’t wake up for another 20 hours, if at all,” Roman said sickly, sticking another dart into the side of Ruby’s neck. Ruby froze as she felt the dart’s fluids flowing beneath her skin, landing roughly on the ground as Torchwick let go of her hood. Her vision was swimming, waving in and out and making her sick. 

Ruby crawled weakly against the ground, grinding her teeth as she pulled herself along the dirt ground. She reached forward to try and grab Weiss, her hand hovering in the air before hitting the ground weakly with a dusty thud. She could see the masked faunus tying the heiress up roughly with ropes, throwing her around like she was trash before picking her up and flinging her over their shoulder.

“Wei...Weiss…” She sobbed, her vision growing dark as one of the White Fang got closer. A hard, painful kick landed against her ribs, a loud crack coming from her chest. Ruby coughed painfully, laying limp in the dirt. A wheeze escaped her lungs, her aura frail. She watched as the black cloaked people disappeared into the forest again, tears falling from her face.

“No….no..” Ruby croaked the word over and over, sobs racking her body as she slowly passed out. 


	5. rose petal trail gone cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I almost lost Ruby once, Blake,” Yang said solemnly. The blonde turned to face her partner, who hadn’t moved from where Yang had left her, “I ignored the feeling I had in the woods as a child all those years ago. I’m not ignoring it now.”
> 
> Yang lifted Gambol Shroud from the foot of Blake’s bed, who looked at her own weapon apprehensively. She pointed the weapon’s grip to its owner, a deep, serious frown on her face, “Now, am I going alone or does my partner want to join me?”.

_ You are my sunshine, my only sunshine _

_ You make me happy when skies are gray _

_ You'll never know dear, how much I love you _

_ Please don't take my sunshine away. _

_ The other night dear, as I lay sleeping _

_ I dreamed I held you in my arms _

_ But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken _

_ So I hung my head and I cried _

**_You Are My Sunshine, The Phantoms_ **

  
  


Blake watched from her bed as Yang strode back and forth around the dorm room with her scroll clenched tightly in her hand. She’d been pacing in circles for the past ten minutes, moving from gnawing her knuckles to checking her scroll. The little red alarm clock between their bunks flashed the time  _ 18:49  _ in minimal red digits. It had been fourteen hours since Ruby and Weiss had left on their date, and neither of them were reacting to messages or calls. They’d gone completely silent.

“They’re probably just ignoring you,” Blake tried to reason again, her amber eyes following the concerned elder sister as she flattened rings into the carpet, “It’s not very late, they could’ve gone to a movie or something.”

Yang shook her head furiously, one of her hands holding her fringe back from her eyes. Her gaze was locked on her scroll as she typed out messages, hoping for a response from either of her teammates, “No- No, something feels wrong. Ruby wouldn’t ignore me. I’ve called her thirteen times, and she still won’t answer, and the last time she saw my message was four hours ago. Four hours!”

“ _ Thirteen _ phone calls?” Blake lifted an eyebrow, an unimpressed look on her face, “ She probably turned her scroll off so you’d stop calling her..”

“Blake you’re really  _ not  _ helping,” Yang growled, her fingers curling into claws as she pulled at her own hair in frustration.

“I’m trying to be reasonable, Yang. You need to calm down.”

“ _ I AM _ -” Yang roared abruptly, a sudden violent red flashing in her eyes. She closed her eyes, the angry colour in them fading back to lilac before she let out a chuckling breath, “I.. am kinda calm.”

_ ‘Clearly _ .’ Blake thought to herself, watching as flames rose off the ends of her long, blonde mane of hair.

“Ruby isn’t a child anymore. She doesn’t need babysitting. Besides, she’s not exactly alone,” Blake repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. Yang huffed.

“I know that, but-”

“And both Ruby and Weiss are some of the best huntresses in the school.”

“Yeah, but-”

“And they’ve been partners for over a year.”

“ _ I know _ ! But something just feels  _ wrong,  _ Blake!” Yang cried in frustration, her lilac eyes settling on Myrtenaster and Crescent Rose that sat alone by the door, “Like, why wouldn’t they bring their weapons with them? Anything could happen- ugh I knew I should’ve convinced Ruby out of liking Weiss..”

Blake sighed, standing up and blocking Yang’s path, “ _ Yang _ , look at me.” The blonde looked up from her scroll, her eyes swimming in hot dread and nervousness. Blake's were quiet and gathered, but they held a stern gaze, fixated on her partner in an attempt to calm Yang’s overthinking mind. Yang hesitated, her eyes glued to Blake in a beat. Blake lifted her hands to place them on either side of Yang’s face, the brunette’s skin warm to the touch. 

“I know you’re worried, but Weiss and Ruby are more than capable of handling themselves. They’re not children,” Blake said softly, trying to take the edge off of her partner, “It was Ruby’s choice to bring Weiss on a date, not ours. We couldn’t have stopped her if we wanted to. You need to have a little more faith in your sister.”

Yang’s entire frame stood still as she listened, one hand rising to grasp Blake’s wrist. Her lilac orbs were still full of anxiety and hesitation, debating Blake’s words for a moment. For a minute, Blake thought she’d gotten through to her ox-headed partner, until she let out a tired sigh. Her eyes held an unspoken guilt, but Blake caught it. A soft frown tugged at her lips.

“Yang..”

“I need to make sure,” Yang mumbled quietly, gently lifting Blake’s hands off her face and turning to face the door. Her shoulders were slouched, the flames that had been glowing at the base of her hair extinguished by a walk of concern-driven guilt. Blake watched as Yang reached for a jacket to pull over her body, and to hide Ember and Celica, which were now securely attached to her wrists. Yang pulled out the cuffs, making sure her gauntlets wouldn’t get snagged on the coat.

“I almost lost Ruby once, Blake,” Yang said solemnly. The blonde turned to face her partner, who hadn’t moved from where Yang had left her, “I ignored the feeling I had in the woods as a child all those years ago. I’m not ignoring it now.”

Yang lifted Gambol Shroud from the foot of Blake’s bed, who looked at her own weapon apprehensively. She pointed the weapon’s grip to its owner, a deep, serious frown on her face, “Now, am I going alone or does my partner want to join me?”. 

Blake’s golden orbs flickered from Yang to the hilt of Gambol Shroud, then back to Yang. They locked eyes, neither of them wavering as they stared each other down. Blake’s will broke first, her feline ears flattening in defeat beneath her bow, a heavy sigh escaping her. She reached out for her weapon, taking it from Yang and flipping it onto her back.

“Fine,” she grumbled, tightening the black bow atop her head with a tight tug, “But if I turn out to be right, you can be the one to explain to Ruby why we’re there.”

Yang smiled softly, gratitude shining in her eyes, “Thank you, Blake.”

The pair left the dorm swiftly, rushing down the flights of stairs that led to the main lobby of the building. Yang’s mind was distracted as she ran, billions of scenarios flying through her head of what could’ve happened to her younger sister. The mere thought of Ruby getting hurt made her sick to the pits of her stomach.

Blake, on the other hand, could sense Yang’s overwhelming fear as she ran beside her. A concerned look had settled on her face, watching her partner as they made their way down the final flight of stairs. Yang could get... unpredictable when she was upset, which meant she lost all means of rational thought. 

She had followed along because she knew Yang would need a tether. If she didn’t have one, who knows what she would do if she got angry, or Gods forbid, she got upset.

As they came to the ground floor, a yelp of surprise caught Blake’s well-tuned ears, her amber eyes set on a connecting path in front of them. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a glint of crimson hair coming from the weapon locker storage, who Blake quickly recognised as their neighbour, Pyrrha Nikos. The crimsonette was in a loose, rusty coloured hoodie with Milo and Akouo on her back, and was oblivious to the Yang-sized mass running forward, towards the exit behind her.   
  
“Yang watch-” Blake’s warning came too late. 

Yang and Pyrrha collided with a hard thud. The impact sent both titan-built girls flying opposite ways, now sprawled on the floor, rubbing their heads. Blake winced at the sight, her black ribbon leaning back on her head as her ears folded.

“Sorry, Pyrrha,” Yang mumbled as she got up, rubbing her lower back where she had fallen, “I didn’t see you there, and I’d love to stay and chat but we’re in a rush.”

“Yang,” Blake scolded, watching her partner as she rushed to the main door. The blonde ignored her partner’s voice, instead immediately rushing over to the airship timetable pinned to the nearest notice board. 

The faunus sighed, looking back as Pyrrha arrived beside her, a worried look on her face, “Is there something wrong? Yang seems rather… distressed.”

Blake nodded, watching as Yang paced around in circles on her scroll, talking to someone rather loudly about the next airship leaving Beacon. The ravenette turned to the crimson-haired girl with a heavy sigh, “Ruby and Weiss aren’t responding to her. She’s freaked out over it and won’t listen to reason.”

Pyrrha tilted her head slightly, “Ruby and Weiss? Did Ruby finally ask her on a date?”

Blake blinked in surprise, looking at the taller student beside her in shock, “She told you about it?”

Pyrrha hummed, a silent chuckle jerking her body, “I picked up on it and asked Ruby some time ago.” The crimsonette frowned, glancing back at Yang in concern again as she let out an annoyed yell. “If they’re on a date, then why is Yang so worried?”

“She calls it her ‘sisterly instinct’,” Blake explained, perking up as Yang came closer again. The blonde’s hair was glowing with heat, but she looked distressed rather than angry. 

“There’s only one more ship out of Vale tonight due to a storm. We have to go now,” she explained. Blake crossed glances with Pyrrha before nodding to her partner.

“Then let’s go. We don’t want to miss it.”

“Please allow me to come with you,” Pyrrha hummed, stepping beside Yang to rest a hand on her shoulder, “You never know what might happen. I was trained in tracking, it might be useful.”

Yang thought for a moment, searching Pyrrha’s eyes. A serious, caring emerald stare was all she could see, one of someone who was worried for her friends. Yang sent Blake a side glance, silently asking for confirmation. The feline nodded.

“Alright,” Yang hummed, tightening her hoodie over her shoulders. She took a breath, the glow in her hair dimming as a small, weak smile emerged, “Thank you.”

Blake shared a smile with Pyrrha, before steeling her emotions. She stepped past Yang, heading towards the front door with a new air of seriousness, “Come on. Let’s go find our teammates.”

The three students rushed to the airship docks, the evening warmth shifting to a colder, damper air as rough winds began to pick up. The sea below was starting to grow rough, foamy waves crashing against the rocks of the academy.. The flight felt long and dragged out, like time was tormenting them with anxieties of what could have happened. Yang had practically bitten her nails to stubs by the time they arrived in Vale’s airports.

Yang was the first off the ship, quickly scanning her student ID against the check-in scanner before pushing her way through the gates. Blake and Pyrrha had to run to keep up with her, muttering “excuse me, pardon me” every few seconds as they weaved throughout the dense crowds.

“Yang, wait!” Blake called to her partner as they finally escaped the busy airport, “Do you even know where you’re going?!”

Yang, who had been ahead by a considerable amount, stopped in her tracks and faced Blake and Pyrrha, “No.”

“Of course not,” Blake remarked quietly, “Did you check the scroll signal?”

Yang tilted her head quizzically, “The what now?”

“Our scrolls all have GPS trackers in them,” Pyrrha explained briefly, “They ping their locations to the school in case of an emergency during missions.”

Yang reached into her pocket and pulled out the small device, flicking it open and navigating through the screens until she found what she was looking for, “Wow, I didn’t know this even existed.”

Blake smirked lightly, a twinkle in her golden eyes, “How do you think we found you the night you wrecked The Fisher’s Keep?”

“The bar on the docks? Wasn’t that the one that partly burned down a while ago?” Pyrrha asked innocently as Yang scrolled around the map of Vale on her scroll. Blake shrugged her shoulders.

“Who knows?”

“Got them!” Yang exclaimed, turning her scroll around to show Blake and Pyrrha, “Vale National Trail. Not a bad spot, sis’.”

“Let’s go then. We only have an hour before the airship goes back to the school,” Pyrrha said. Yang and Blake nodded.

  
  


The National Trail wasn’t too far, but it was on the very edge of the city's border. There were rare cases of grimm wandering into the deepest forests, especially the flying types. Ravagers were the most common, hanging from the darkest trees to attack scared campers. While they were small and weak on their own, any cry that they would make would attract more, as would the fear and panic of the attack. Once there was a group of them, you were better off running.

The start of the trail had been renovated to a small campsite for that reason. As long as you stayed within the border, you had a better chance of being protected. It was a wide open area that served as a center for the forest. Picnic benches were scattered around, while small shops lined the edge just before the trail began. A nice place in the day, but eerie once the sun began to set. 

It was practically abandoned by the time Yang, Blake and Pyrrha got there. Wasps hung around the trash cans as they tried to suck whatever sugar they could from the rubbish, buzzing loudly in their groups. Yang looked around as she walked, Blake and Pyrrha tailing closely behind her.

“Something’s not right,” Pyrrha mumbled quietly, her hand twitching to grab Milo from her back, “It seems too…”

“Quiet.” Blake finished, pulling her ribbon from her feline ears so she could listen better. She’d explained her faunus traits to JNPR some time ago, but it still felt strange for the ravenette to reveal herself at times. She reserved it for times where it was necessary, and this was one of those times. Her sleek black ears swiveled in the air. “Far too quiet.”

“I told you something happened,” Yang said, looking up as she found herself at the start of the trail path. A man was walking towards them, an unsettled look on his face. Yang moved to meet him, lifting her hand to grab his attention. “Excuse me sir!”

The man looked towards them at the shout, stopping as Yang jogged up to him. He smiled, “Can I help you?”

“We’re looking for two girls, about this high,” Yang lifted her hand in the air, stopping at her shoulder, “One of them has a red cape and the other has really long white hair and an attitude?”

The man frowned, looking back on the trail he had come from, lost in thought, “A few hours ago, maybe? They weren’t very far down the trail.”

“A few hours ago?” Blake asked, a hand on Yang’s shoulder stopping her from bolting without them, “Have you not seen them since?”

“Not that I can remember, but I would’ve assumed they left a long time ago. There was no sign of them on the way back down,” he explained, his frown shifting into one of nerves, “There was no sign of anything on the way back down. Almost like the whole forest had been swept clean.”

Blake and Yang swapped gazes, before Blake let go of the blonde. The two girls raced up the dirt path, leaving Pyrrha to utter a quick “Thank you!” to the man before rushing to catch up.

A silent forest meant that there were Grimm around.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let them go without their weapons!” Yang whined, racing along the path. Blake frowned, her ears still twisting around for any type of sounds belonging to Ruby or Weiss.

“Stay calm Yang. We don’t want to attract any Grimm towards Ruby and Weiss,” Blake said, the ribbon attached to Gambol Shroud following behind her, “Let’s just find them first and get out.”

“Agreed,” Pyrrha spoke, her spear and shield now comfortably in her hands, “If they’re hurt we’ll need to escape quickly.”

“Right, right,” Yang slowed to a jog, her eyes moving from her scroll screen to the area around them, “The scroll says they’re right here. Can anyone see them?”

Blake looked around cautiously, stepping away from Yang to scout out the small area. There were footprints everywhere, any evidence of Weiss and Ruby’s presence destroyed beneath other hikers' feet. She grumbled in annoyance, “I can’t see anyone. Are you sure they’re here?”

“They have to be,” Yang called, looking around, while glancing to the sky in nerves, “Keep looking.”

Pyrrha knelt beside a set of tire tracks, gently running her hand across the soil. There were multiple tracks of the same type, all emerging from the same spot in the overgrowth. The huntress frowned in suspicion, moving to follow them to the source.

“Find something?” Blake asked, drawn towards Pyrrha’s actions. The crimsonette hummed, running her fingers along the sides of the tracks. 

“Fresh tire tracks. From a motorbike from the looks of it,” she explained, standing up and pushing the collapsed log in front of her out of the way. The rotten piece of wood fell to the side, crunching off the ground as it split apart. 

Yang moved over at the sound, her eyes staring at the hidden path in surprise. Blake crouched down, her eyes narrowed as she found tracks in the soil. Crushed plants and twigs led through the path, belonging to two people.

“They went this way. C’mon,” Blake said urgently, pushing through the twigs and overgrowth. Yang followed after her partner swiftly, with Pyrrha trailing after the blonde. 

Yang winced as she pushed through the bushes, sharp twigs and thorns scraping off her arms as she pushed her way through. She kept her eyes glued on Blake as she shoved her way through the overgrowth in front of her, the feline’s ears perked forward and her eyes down as she tracked their lost teammates. 

Blake broke into an opening ahead of them, turning and holding the bushes back for Yang and Pyrrha to follow through. Yang burst from the trees like a bear, eyes searching around quickly for her baby sister. Her eyes immediately landed on the lake ahead of them, before following the shoreline.

Pyrrha followed after Yang, her eyes immediately landing on a still black form lazily hidden in front of one of the trees. Her emerald eyes flashed with worry, turning to face Yang, “Yang! Over there!”

The blonde turned to face the tree Pyrrha was pointing at, her stomach twisting into knots once she saw their team leader on the ground, “Ruby!”

Yang rushed towards her sister, sliding to a stop beside her, heart hammering wildly. She fell to her knees, scooping her arms beneath Ruby to pull her close to her chest. Ruby’s head lolled into Yang’s chest, her mouth drawn open as she slept in her sister’s arms. Her eyes were red and puffy, like she’d been crying.

“Is she okay?” Pyrrha asked, crouching beside Yang with worry. Yang nodded silently, swallowing the lump of relief in her throat. She cradled Ruby like a lifeline, hands shaking.

“Her aura is low, but I think she’s okay,” Yang took a trembling breath, facing Pyrrha’s concerned emerald gaze, “Weiss…?”

“Gone,” Blake said as she emerged from the brushes, standing behind Pyrrha. She held Weiss’ scroll in one hand, and her tiara in the other, cracked in half. “This was all I could find of her.”

“What do you mean gone?!” Yang yelled. Blake’s ears fell back at Yang’s shout, placing the cracked scroll into her pocket before crossing her arms.

“I mean she was taken, Yang. There’s footprints everywhere.” Blake gestured to the prints in the kicked up and ruined grass with a nod. Yang looked over to the caked mud with a tightly knit brow, “They were attacked, or jumped by someone.”

“Who would go after them?” Pyrrha asked, pressing her hand to one of the prints. Blake sighed, rubbing her arm. She already suspected the answer once she saw the tire tracks on the main trail. Yang noticed Blake’s unrest with a frown, lifting a brow in suspicion.

“Blake? What’s on your mind?”

“I don’t know yet, but.. Weiss is a Schnee,” Blake looked up to meet Yang’s lilac glare, her ears pulled back as her anxieties surfaced, “Who do you know that holds a grudge towards them?” 

Yang narrowed her eyes, “The Faunus.”

“You think the White Fang took her?” Pyrrha asked, her eyes moving between Blake and Yang as they communicated wordlessly with each other. Blake only shrugged, looking at the cracked hair piece in her hand. Her eyes were full of distress, and she was tense. Like she was reliving some memory she had repressed. Yang frowned, her eyes casting back down to Ruby as she thought.

“Why now?” Yang asked aloud, stroking the hair from his sister’s forehead tenderly. Blake shook her head.

“I’m not sure. It might not even be them, but if it was… she might not...”

A sad shroud fell over the girls, already knowing where Blake’s train of thought had been heading. The White Fang weren’t called extremists for nothing. They would do anything to get back at the SDC. Blake still had nightmares from the times Adam had made… examples of those who’d failed him. Their corpses had been left to rot on poles on the Mantle border, a show of what they could do. It had made national news. Several SDC workers' bodies displayed publicly, along with a warning to the family who ran the business.

“Don’t lose hope just yet,” Pyrrha said carefully, cutting the falling sorrow that was forming around the three girls. “We need to get Ruby back to Beacon and let Headmaster Ozpin know what happened.”

“Ruby will know what happened,” Blake pitched in, looking down at Ruby in concern. Yang slowly nodded, reaching one arm beneath Ruby’s legs before standing up with a grunt. She watched her sister carefully, a crease in her brows at her sister’s lack of response. 

“Okay,” Yang nodded, looking between Blake and Pyrrha, “We get back to Beacon, get Ruby help. Then we beat up whoever dared to mess with our family.”

A loud caw cried through the forest, the voice bouncing off the trees. Goosebumps rose along Yang’s neck as she looked around. Blake and Pyrrha pulled their weapons from their backs in an instant, changing both into their gun modes.

“Ravagers,” Blake informed, her ears twisting around the air wildly, while she pinpointed them, “A group of them are coming our way!”

“Go Yang! We’ll cover you and Ruby!” Pyrrha called out, cocking the shotgun form of Milo in her hands. Yang hesitated for a moment before looking down at Ruby. She couldn’t do anything with Ruby in her arms, and they were running out of time to get back to the airship docks before the last ship left. She nodded, tightening her grip on her sister’s body.

“Right!” Yang took off in a sprint, breaking through the bushes they’d entered through. Blake and Pyrrha followed closely, eyes scanning the tree crowns as they broke through to the main trail. A loud shriek echoed through the air, a Ravager flying above them. 

Pyrrha lifted her gun and shot twice, blasting the creature’s head off it’s shoulder with two explosive cartridges. It fell to the ground with a soft thump, the crimsonette clicking the empty shells out of her gun before loading two new rounds into it. Blake appeared from the shadows behind her, slashing another out of the air with Gambol Shroud.

Yang grit her teeth as she dodged out of the way of the attacking Grimm, holding onto Ruby’s limp body as tight as she could. The birds dove for her, sharp beaks aiming to hurt Yang as the blonde danced around them clumsily. As she sidestepped out of the way of another, her foot slipped on a stone. The blonde stumbled to catch her footing with a yelp, spotting a Ravager lining up to attack her, launching itself at the given opportunity.

“Shit,” Yang hissed, turning and exposing her back as the bird went for her. A gunshot rang past her ear, deafening the blonde with a cry. She staggered to the side, looking at the place where the Grimm had been shot. Black particles settled to the ground, burning like charred embers. Yang took a breath, shaking the high pitched ringing from her head.

“...ang! YANG!” Blake yelled louder, concerned gold eyes watching her partner. The brawler rubbed her ear off her shoulder roughly, forcing out a pained smile. Blake’s ears swiveled anxiously, but her eyes grew less fearful. Yang shook her head once more, the pitched whines and pains fading as her aura got to work.

“I’m fine, I’m fine! Keep going!” Yang hollered, starting back into another run. They hadn’t been far from the main camping area, which likely had Grimm traps in case any stray monsters wandered too close for comfort to the camp at night. Yang dodged to the side again, digging her toe into the dry earth as she pushed herself to run faster. Gods, if only she had Ruby’s speed right now.

Pyrrha lifted her thumb, closing one eye as she aimed for one of the bigger Ravagers that had appeared through the tree branches with a screech. She adjusted Milo in her grip, finding the right handhold, before throwing her spear through the air with practiced precision. The blade pierced through the Grimm, before stopping mid-air and returning to its owner with the aid of her semblance.

Blake appeared behind Pyrrha, shooting another few rounds at a group of smaller Grimm, before disappearing into the shadows. She appeared again beside Yang as they passed through the entrance to the forest trail, turning to watch the Grimm as they flew towards the small group. Pyrrha came to a stop beside Blake, morphing Milo into its shotgun form before taking aim. Blake shifted Gambol Shroud, eyes narrowed.

However, just as the monsters were about to break the threshold of the trail, several bolts of lightning burst from the trees, disintegrating any of the grimm that touched it. The birds shrieked, fading into black mist instantaneously. Blake lifted her sight to look at the trunks of the trees, finding black boxes secured tightly to them. Tesla gates, made specifically for Grimm.

Yang sniffed the air, “Eugh, that reeks!”

“Let’s hurry and get going,” Blake hummed, placing her weapon back over her shoulder before untying the bow from her wrist and placing it back over her cat ears. Pyrrha clicked Milo into safe mode, locking Milo to Akouo and latching them both to her back.

“I’ll message the rest of JNPR,” Pyrrha said, picking her scroll from her back, “There’s still a chance that Weiss managed to escape and went back to the school for help.”

A loud boom came from overhead, followed by the sound of distant lightning. Blake’s hair stood on end, her cat ears laid flat beneath her bow. Yang shivered as a gust of chilled wind blew through the air. She started into another jog, “Let’s hope we can bribe the pilot into driving.”

The airship back felt like it took a lifetime to get to Beacon, and the growing storm shook the airship as it flew. They just barely managed to get back to the school before the brutal part of the storm hit, bringing down icy rain and hail stones like bullets from the sky. Yang had pulled off her coat and wrapped it around Ruby in her arms to make sure her baby sister wasn’t hurt any more than she already was by the cold. 

They had made quite a sight when they burst into the infirmary of the school, petrifying the nurses as well as the few teachers that had been lingering around: three second-year students drenched to their skin, holding the ‘prestigious’ Ruby Rose limp in their arms. The head nurse rushed forward in a heartbeat, asking what had happened as she led Yang to the nearest open bed, while the other nurses and teachers handed Blake and Pyrrha a towel.

That had been over an hour ago. 

Now, Yang sat worriedly by her sister's side, holding her limp hand as she slept. She watched as Ruby’s chest rose and fell, a water drip attached to her left arm. Blake sat on the opposite side of Yang, eyes flickering from Ruby to Yang in worry. The nurses had already taken Ruby’s blood for a test, as well as done a physical check. 

She had some lightning burns on her lower back, as well as faintly bruised ribs. The nurses suspected the burns had come from close contact to ignited Dust, but they would heal quickly with some rest. As for why she was asleep and not waking up, they weren’t sure. That was why they had taken blood.

  
  


“We need to tell Ozpin. If the White Fang are attacking students they need to know.” Blake hummed sadly, tugging the fleece blanket tighter around her damp shoulders. Yang huffed, tracing circles around Ruby’s hand.

“Maybe now that Weiss is gone, they’ll leave us alone,” she said grumpily, smiling slightly as a snore broke through Ruby’s slumber. Blake’s ears fell back slightly, an upset look on her features.

“Yang, Weiss is a part of our team. We can’t just abandon her,” Blake growled. Yang sighed, pushing her hair back behind her ears in defeat.

“Yeah, yeah I know. I didn’t mean that... I just,” Yang sighed again, rubbing her face in distress. Blake frowned again, reaching over to brush her fingers over Yang’s hand. The blonde looked up, the bags under her eyes tainting her usually vibrant violet eyes.

“I know you didn’t.” Blake tilted her head as a nurse began to approach them again, holding a clipboard with a relieved look on her face. Yang turned to the tall woman as she came to a stop beside her, nodding in greeting.

“Well, the good news is that she will recover fully within the next few hours. We’ve administered aura boosters so her wounds should be completely gone by morning.” She began, lifting the pages as she called out the information. Yang and Blake crossed glances.

“So then,” Yang looked to the nurse, worry still lingering on her face, “Why won’t she wake up?”

“She seems to have been injected with a heavy dosage of Midazolam-”

Yang’s face twisted to one of confusement, “Mida- _ what _ ?”

“ _ Midazolam _ .” The woman repeated, “It’s commonly used during surgeries to put patients to sleep. Ruby was exposed to a rather large dosage of it.” 

“So, she’ll be okay?” Blake asked, noticing the conflicted expression flickering across Yang’s eyes. She was hunched over slightly, eyes staring emptily to the floor as she lost herself in thought. Her hands were wringing together, molding little grooves into her tanned skin. Blake frowned again.

“Yes, although we’re not sure when she’ll wake up. I’m sure she’ll do so when she’s ready,” the nurse explained with a practised smile, before quickly checking the bag of fluids that were being fed through a drip in Ruby’s arm. She gently adjusted it, before stepping away and bowing her head slightly. “Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” Blake mumbled, forcing a smile for the nurse. The woman smiled back weakly, before turning and leaving out the main doors. Blake looked back to Yang with an uncertain look, sharing her thoughts. If this happened to Ruby, then what had happened to Weiss? They hadn’t found any clues as to where she’d been taken, or if she was even still alive. She could’ve been anywhere in Remnant by now. 

“We’re back.”

Yang and Blake looked up as Pyrrha led team JNPR into the infirmary. They were soaked down to their underwear, their clothes dark as water dripped onto the cool floor. Pyrrha had a towel in her hand, drying the ends of her ponytail as she walked closer. Jaune looked concerned, eyes locked on his sleeping friend on the bed, hooked onto a drip and a ventilator. Nora and Ren followed in behind.

“How’s Ruby?” Jaune asked nervously, moving to stand beside Yang as he took in the scene. Ruby looked so small tucked beneath layers of blankets and towels, tubes attached to her arm and nose. Yang took a deep breath, straightening her back. 

Sitting back down into the chair with a heavy sigh, she slapped her hands off her damp thighs in hopes of getting them to dry a little more.

“Doc said she’ll be okay,” she responded, eyes not moving from her sister’s sleeping body. Her gaze hardened, a glow of hatred surrounding her, “She was put to sleep by whoever attacked them.”

“That’s horrible,” added Pyrrha, her arms wrapped around herself as she took in the sight of her friend. Yang huffed angrily, folding her arms across her chest.

“When I get my hands on the filthy monster that did this,” she growled lowly, her eyes lighting up blood-red. Blake shifted nervously in her seat as she reached up to fumble with the corner of the towel on her shoulders. She cleared her throat, ending the growing silence that had followed Yang’s threats, “Any signs of Weiss?”

“No,” Jaune sighed, resting his hands on his hips as he stood, “We asked security to check the cameras on campus for her, but she’s nowhere to be seen.” He lifted his hand to run it through his shaggy locks of blonde hair that were stuck to his head. “We’re not allowed to leave the school grounds for the next few days either.”

“All airships have been grounded due to the storm,” Ren quickly explained, standing beside Jaune. “It’s only getting worse.” He held a towel over his shoulders, drying his soaked shoulder-length hair with his hands. Rain thundered against one of the windows, followed by a distant roll of thunder that made the room shiver. 

“Well, we’re not giving up on her. We’ll get her back,” Pyrrha comforted, resting a light hand on Blake’s shoulder. The faunus looked up to the crimsonette in thanks, pulling the towel from around herself and folding it on her lap. 

_ Would  _ they get Weiss back alive, though? When Blake had been part of the White Fang, she’d witnessed many enemies of the organisation being traded to slave farms, other than being executed to set an example in front of any faunus who wanted to watch. She’d already seen past members of the Schnee family hanged for their crimes against the Faunus, members that hadn’t been part of Weiss’ immediate family. Who knows what they’d do to the heiress. Her fingers dug into the fibers of the towel in fear.

Blake sucked in a breath, “Let’s just hope we’re not too late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND SCENE-
> 
> Arc 2 is now starting. Buckle in folks, it's going to be bumpy. However it's time for a hiatus so I can catch up on a few chapters. I'm going to try and pre-write the next arc before I post. So the wait will be a month from now instead of the usual two weeks.
> 
> What's happened to Weiss? Hmm, I guess that'll be revealed soon. I think the question you all should be thinking about is WHY they took Weiss and not Ruby...
> 
> Please don't forget to kudos and comment if you can! See you all in a month.


	6. White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What..?” Weiss muttered to herself, her throat so dry that it made her wince, her old headache returning at the base of her skull. She swung her body around, looking for any signs of where she was. The room was mostly empty, a long mirror stretching along the width of the wall opposite her. There was a door not too far from it, right in front of her. If Weiss wasn’t being held captive and chained up by her wrists, she would’ve thought she was in a hospital of some sort.
> 
> She looked down to her legs, finding that one of her ankles was clamped to the floor as well, probably as another form of ‘precaution’. She tugged at it a few times, finding the cold steel to be wrapped tight against her skin. That’s when she realised that her coat and boots had been taken off, leaving her only in her sleeveless white dress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (trigger warning; graphic descriptions of pain and mild sexual harassment ahead)
> 
> I'm back,,, albeit a wee bit later then expected.
> 
> For anyone who doesn't want to read this chapter, don't worry. It can be skipped, however you will miss some important parts. If you still wish to skip, that's okay! I'll see you next chapter ^^
> 
> For those who don't... well strap yourself down it's a heavy chapter. Lots of small details to be picked up on.
> 
> Chapter updates may be a bit more sporadic from now on, since school is starting up again. I'll try to stay consistent though!

**(trigger warning; graphic descriptions of pain and mild sexual harassment ahead)**

The first thing Weiss picked up on when she came back to her senses was the smell of cold steel. The harsh, pungent, wet odor invaded her nostrils, yanking her from the fuzziness of her subconscious mind. It smelt horrid, like some alleyway in the scums of Mantle, plagued with rotting food and spilled alcohol.

The next thing she noticed was that she was being dragged across the floor by the hood of her jacket, her arms and legs limp and lifeless on either side of her. A groan escaped her throat, her eyes slowly opening to reveal the world again. She quickly realized she wasn’t in the forest anymore; she was in a facility of some kind… or at least, that's what Weiss thought it was. Black steel covered the ground, while an arched roof curved above them. They were in a long hall of sorts, the floor beneath her damp and soaking her cold legs.

She blinked the gray fuzz from her vision, lifting her head to look around. Her head felt like it was made of lead, accompanied by a thumping headache that pounded against the back of her eyes. She tried to turn to see who was dragging her away into the unknown, but her body was working against her. She saw the tail of a white coat before her head fell again, dark rings forming around her vision once more. She didn’t fight against the lull of sleep, letting her head drop against her chest as she fell under.

Pitch black filled her vision, however Weiss could still hear what was going on. There was a distant dripping noise echoing off the walls, accompanied by a low hum of what Weiss thought was machinery. There were a few voices every now and then, mostly murmurs so quiet that Weiss couldn’t hear. One of them spoke multiple times which Weiss quickly assigned to the person dragging her along the ground. It was muffled... the cause, Weiss wasn’t sure.

_ “This is her?” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “T-this is Weiss Schnee.” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “Are you daft?! The SDC will kill every Faunus on Remnant if he finds out!-” _

_ “Then we kill her first. Now take her and get her ready before Torchwick gets here, or else you’ll be on display as a rug in the next demonstration!” _

The loud shout scared away the darkness, jerking Weiss back to reality again. Her eyes fluttered open in a panic, her vision filling with spots at the sudden rush of adrenaline. She lifted her head, scrambling as she tried to take in her surroundings. They were in a completely different place. There was still a steel floor beneath her, but blue glass lined the walls, and bright white lights lit the displays up from beneath. Black shapes sat against other glass cages, just across from her, watching like phantoms with white masks.

White masks?

Weiss jerked away from the glass wall she had leaned against. Grimm lined the walls, watching her excitedly as she wriggled. The closest one let out an ear piercing scream, alarm sirens starting to blare throughout the halls as the other Grimm began to join in with the cries of the first. An open palm hit the glass hard, the surface rattling from the rough impact. Panic began to swallow Weiss whole. She scrambled desperately to get away from the creature, only for a human palm to actually grab a hold of her neck. Driven purely by fight or flight, she drove her elbow into the side of the person’s knee, freeing her and allowing her to stumble to her feet.

Weiss’ vision swam as she staggered, falling against the railing that lined the glass cages. She took a shaky breath, turning to try and figure out who had been dragging her through wherever she was. Her eyes landed on a masked white figure behind her with what Weiss thought were antlers on their head, through her blurred vision. She took another step back, her knee buckling beneath her own weight.

_ Move Weiss _ , she told herself, as she forced herself into a heavy run. Her entire body was weighed down by exhaustion, pulling her towards the ground like a bag of sand. Every step was effort, but slowly began to get lighter as she stumbled through the halls accompanied by heavy, metallic thumps. Weiss shook her head, the muffled noises becoming clear and sharp as whatever drug had been pumped through her system finally wore out. 

The walls surrounding her as she ran were all made of double-glazed glass, cages intended for the containment of the Grimm inhabiting them. Weiss didn’t recognise the species, but she blamed it on the drowsiness still lingering in her head. Whatever they were, it didn’t matter. As long as they stayed away from her she’d be okay. The black monsters were pressed against the glass, desperately trying to reach the source of panic and fear that was passing in front of them. Weiss forced herself not to look at them, instead focusing on trying to escape.

Alarms were blaring everywhere, a painful headache clawing at her brain. The halls seemed to stretch on forever, dark and gloomy passage ways that twisted and turned into an endless hallway of Grimm displays. Weiss had no idea where she was going, or even where she was. If she could just find a place to hide-

Her foot caught on a ridge in the floor, a piece of unevenly laid metal flooring that stuck up dangerously. Weiss staggered to the side, her ribs hitting off the protective railing that isolated the path from the creatures in the glass. The sudden change of direction made the girl dizzy, her small figure leaning against the metal, desperately trying to catch her breath. The world swam beneath her, tilting back and forth. Her stomach churned.

“Hey!” A rough voice yelled from behind Weiss, a rough hand reaching forward and grasping her shoulder. Weiss spun around in surprise, just to see a fist collide with her cheek. She fell to the ground with a gasp, her face throbbing painfully.

A knee landed on her shoulder, pinning her to the floor. Weiss grunted, lifting her hands to cover her face as a fist struck her hard, stars dancing across her vision. She let out a cry as another hit her face, then a sharp jab struck her leg and her vision turned hazy again. Her hands dropped against her chest as her strength ebbed away, leaving her listening as the man hissed every derogatory term under the sun. Weiss hissed, trying to hold onto any shred of consciousness she could, but it slipped through her fingers like sand. Her head fell back against the ground, the sounds of blaring alarms and howling Grimm fading from her mind.

.

  
  


.

Weiss shot awake, startled, her eyes snapping open as she came to for a third time. She wriggled in panic, the jingling and subsequent loud clatter of chains sounding off the confines of… wherever this was now. By inspecting her wrists, Weiss found that she was chained with her hands bound together above her head, the thick, silver chains cutting off circulation as she hung from a rusty hook in the ceiling, the four walls surrounding her a stark white.

“What..?” Weiss muttered to herself, her throat so dry that it made her wince, her old headache returning at the base of her skull. She swung her body around, looking for any signs of where she was. The room was mostly empty, a long mirror stretching along the width of the wall opposite her. There was a door not too far from it, right in front of her. If Weiss wasn’t being held captive and chained up by her wrists, she would’ve thought she was in a hospital of some sort.

She looked down to her legs, finding that one of her ankles was clamped to the floor as well, probably as another form of ‘precaution’. She tugged at it a few times, finding the cold steel to be wrapped tight against her skin. That’s when she realised that her coat and boots had been taken off, leaving her only in her sleeveless white dress.

Weiss grit her teeth, looking back up to her wrists above her head. Opening her palm, she tried to will her semblance to work. A blue glyph briefly sputtered to life, before dying and fading away once more. Her heart dropped, making a few more attempts, however no symbol formed. It was almost like her semblance wasn’t there, which meant her aura was either shattered or close to zero.

Panic settled in her chest as she tried to pull herself free, her leg holding her down and keeping her from swinging. She tried to pull her hands down, growling as the chains pinched the skin on her wrists painfully. She gave up with a breath, letting herself hang free as she regained her strength. She looked at the mirror, watching her own hanging body in the reflection.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me?” she called out, her voice laced with fear and anxiety. She winced at the sound of her own voice, closing her eyes and taking a breath before trying again. “Hello?!”

Nothing but her own voice echoed back at her, leaving the heiress stumped and confused. She glared at her ankle, twisting it around to see if there was a way to slip free, only to give up a few minutes later. She narrowed her eyes, thinking back on the past few hours, or at least she thought it had been hours. She had been in a forest, no, they had been in a forest. Ruby had been with her on a date. Then Torchwick appeared out of nowhere and attacked them. Weiss had passed out at some stage, though she couldn’t remember why.

A pit of worry opened in the depths of Weiss’ stomach. If she was here in this strange facility, was Ruby here too?

The door in front of her opened with a hiss. Weiss’ head shot up quickly, eyes landing on a small girl that lazily moved into the room. She was short, shorter than Weiss, with pink and brown hair, and matching heterochromia coloured eyes. A frilled umbrella was closed over her shoulder, the handle clutched loosely in her hand.

Neo strode into the room with a small smirk, twirling her umbrella over her shoulder as she walked in, her heels clicking beneath every step. The door closed behind her swiftly, blocking any means of escape with a quiet hiss. Weiss watched the door close in despair, before her eyes quickly shifted to Neo. She had only met the mute girl once before, and even then it was a rather brief encounter. 

She was Torchwick’s partner in crime, always following him around as if she were his shadow. She was infamous for appearing out of nowhere to help criminals escape flawlessly. Any attempts to apprehend her had failed, so nothing specific was known about her. Yang had fought her, and _lost_. That’s all Weiss needed to know. Neo was extremely dangerous and devious, something to carefully consider while interacting with her. 

“Let me go!” Weiss demanded, watching Neo as she circled around her. Weiss heard the slither of a blade unsheathing from somewhere close, before feeling the flat of the weapon trace lightly along her hip and against her thigh. The heiress jerked away with a grunt, twisting around to face the older girl while the chains jingled above her. Neo twirled a sword on her finger, a teasing smirk on her face. Weiss turned to try and kick the smaller girl, only for her to hop away.

Neo chuckled silently as she bounced on the balls of her feet. She flipped the blade in her hand, catching it by its grip and sliding it back into the handle of the umbrella. Then, her umbrella vanished into tiny glass splinters, disintegrating before the Schnee. She took a step away with a smug look, her hands folding behind her back as she did. Weiss squinted as the girl disappeared in a flash of bright pink and black, followed by the sound of more shattering glass. The heiress blinked away the stinging blurriness from her eyes, before lifting her head to look for her silent kidnapper.

Weiss’ eyes widened in horror as the small woman reappeared, except with a new appearance. Now, she had short, red tipped black hair, an old dusty cape, and dull silver eyes. A sick, knowing smile had found its way onto the mute’s lips as she stood, arms crossed over her chest as she waited.

The heiress froze, her stomach sinking to the pits of hell as ‘Ruby’ came closer to her. ‘Ruby’ smiled, one of those big goofy, toothy grins Ruby only used to win someone over, that Weiss was more than used to seeing. A feeling of rage boiled through Weiss’ veins, her face growing dark.

“Your tricks won’t work against me,” Weiss snarled venomously, her fists balling above her as Neo stepped closer, “I won’t fall for your mind games.” 

Neo smirked, a glow appearing in her eye. She stepped closer to Weiss, her face barely an inch away from the Schnee’s. Her hands rested on Weiss’ hips, her thumbs resting carefully in the divots of her bones. An involuntary shiver escaped the heiress at her fake partner’s touch, a foggy memory resurfacing of them by the lake. Weiss clamped her mouth shut, chewing on the back of her lips in fear of making a sound. An intrigued hum came from the fake in front of her, a hand moving away from the Schnee’s hip to trace her stomach. Weiss shut her eyes, holding her head up so she didn’t have to look at her cloned partner.

This was cruel. She could feel Neo’s hands tracing along her body. The hands felt so familiar, so sickly familiar, but so wrong at the same time. She flinched as two fingers grasped at her chin and tilted her head down, the presence of an unfamiliar aura brushing off her skin. She could feel Ruby’s calloused thumbs against her own skin, an effect of her prolonged use of Crescent Rose. A hot breath of air passed Weiss’ ear, a blush crawling up her neck at the sensation.

“Weiss…” Ruby whispered teasingly, her voice soft and sweet, “Weiss…”

“Get  _ away _ from me!” Weiss shouted, driving her head forward to headbutt the fake in front of her. A loud yelp of surprise came from Ruby, followed by the illusion cracking into tiny pieces. Neo staggered away from Weiss, her eyes watering while she held her nose. Weiss found herself smirking while the chains above her settled, watching in satisfaction as Neo wiped crimson from her upper lip. Neo looked down at the back of her hand, Weiss’ brief look of triumph quickly fading from her face. The girl's eyes gained a glow of malice, a feeling of dread crawling down Weiss’ back.

The Schnee watched as Neo brandished her umbrella again out of thin air, pulling the blade from the handle swiftly. She appeared before Weiss in a heartbeat, flicking the blade up to the Schnee’s neck. Weiss stiffened, gulping nervously, all feeling of satisfaction wiped out instantly. She could feel Neo’s aura flowing through the cold steel at her neck, angry and cold. 

Weiss took a delicate breath, holding her head up, “Do it already. I’d rather die than be tortured by scum like you.”

Another wave of fury pulsed through the foreign aura like a fire, the edge of the blade pressing tighter against her skin. Weiss shut her eyes, holding her breath as she waited for the cold steel to make the killing move. She certainly wasn’t ready to leave the world behind, but, if she was going to choose between being tortured before dying, and dying at the hands of a blade quickly, she was going to pick the latter. 

“Neo!” A voice behind Neo interrupted. Neo flinched in surprise at the voice, moving the weapon away from Weiss’ neck. Weiss opened her eyes in surprise, finding another person leaning into the open doorway watching in disapproval. Neo straightened her stance immediately as Torchwick glared at her. He took another deep puff from his cigar, his face lighting up in the darkness. “What have I  _ told  _ you about damaging the goods?”

Weiss looked back towards Neo as the mute dipped her head in shame, before frantically signing something towards Torchwick. The man tutted, stepping into the room and out of the shadows while the door closed automatically behind him, “I don’t want your excuses. You work for me, understand?”

The girl’s shoulders sagged in defeat, nodding quietly as she stepped back. Roman sighed, looking up from beneath his hat as he moved closer. He leaned against his cane as he examined Weiss, a cock in his brow as he found her furious eyes glaring back at him. He laughed, standing back up straight.

“You’re awfully quiet for a damsel in distress,” He teased, chewing on the butt of his cigar, “And to think I was  _ excited _ . You’re really crushing my dreams here Princess.”

“I am not a damsel in distress,” Weiss growled, careful what words she let slip out of her mouth. She didn’t have the upper hand here yet. She narrowed her eyes, her hands turning into fists above her head, “Let me out of these chains and I’ll show you how much of a _ damsel in distress _ I am.”

Roman laughed, looking back at Neo in bewilderment, “There’s the spunk I was looking forward to!” He took the cigar from between his teeth, blowing a cloud of toxic smoke into Weiss’ face. The Schnee gagged, coughing the toxic fumes from her lungs while Roman carefully tapped the burnt tobacco from the cigar. He hummed. “However, as much as I’d love to watch Neo beat some manners into you, we can’t afford another breakout.” He looked up from behind his cigar, a smirk forming on his lips, “Fortytwo good men were injured last time, y’know.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes, her voice croaky from the smoke, “...By what?”

“I believe you saw them already, Snow Pea” Roman hummed, flicking his cigar to the ground before crushing it beneath his cane, “The Grimm hybrids in the halls. The ones  _ you  _ sent into a frenzy.”

Weiss watched the taller man as he leaned against his cane before her, waiting for the Schnee’s response. Weiss’ azure eyes flicked back to Neo in the corner before returning to Roman, uncertainty stirring within her, “You experimented on Grimm?” Weiss knew Grimm were often used in Dust experiments at the SDC, but why did Roman Torchwick have them? Why did he want them? Neo flashed a smirk as the ginger haired man stopped in front of Weiss again, shaking his head.

“No no no, not Grimm,” Roman turned to face the heiress with a grin, locking eyes with the girl in chains “Humans.”

Weiss frowned, her face scrunching as Torchwick’s words sunk in. Humans? Weiss certainly hadn’t seen any humans, only faunus and the grimm creatures behind the glass. The White Fang didn’t work with humans usually, but it seemed Roman was an exception. Roman leaned on his cane, leaning forward to examine Weiss’ expression with a look of intrigue. Weiss shook her head.

“I.. I don’t understand.”

“Well Snow Pea, it’s really quite simple” Roman started, the door opening behind him as a white fang grunt pushed a silver cart into the room, “Ah, just in time Garry. Leave it there.” Weiss leaned to see what was on the cart. On it was an array of medical equipment; blades, scissors, needles, anything you would need for a surgery. The criminal inspected the cart for a moment while another, bigger black crate was wheeled into the room beside him. He made a pleased noise, before shoo-ing the faunus out of the room with his cane. He came back and picked up one of the syringes from the first tray, which was filled with a strange, thick black liquid.

“See this?” Roman lifted the needle into the air, “This is Grimm essence. Let me tell you, it’s extremely hard to find this. Do you know how many people I killed before I got my hands on a source?” Roman flicked the side of the glass tube holding the substance twice, before squeezing a single drop from the tip. It fell onto his glove, the liquid bubbling and morphing into a tiny moth grimm. Weiss watched on in shocked horror as the tiny moth creature crawled around Roman’s hand, before being crushed beneath his grip.

“Anyway! Introduce this bad boy to someone’s blood and you get a Nuckleeave,” he explained, leaving the vial down, “Or, theoretically. I’ve still got to get it to work.” 

Weiss felt her body lock up, a cold sweat breaking across her shoulders. She gulped, watching the vial on the tray with fear. She looked over at Neo, who was leaning against the wall with a pleased look on her face. How many of those cages had Weiss passed when she had tried to run away? There had to be a hundred, at least. The halls seemed to go on forever, and some of the cages had more than one Grimm in it. Weiss took a trembling breath, “Those Grimm in the halls…”

“They were all people once. Faunus mostly, but there’s a few humans in there somewhere,” Roman explained, leaning back from the table. He stopped to read Weiss’ features, before a frown set on his face. “Oh, but don’t worry Ice Queen, I won’t turn you into one of them. That’d be a waste.” The red haired man moved towards the second box the grunt had brought in, “Although, I wonder what you would look like. A horse maybe?” Roman shrugged, reaching down to the black crate that had sat untouched until now. 

He carefully unbuckled the straps off the side, before opening the lid carefully. He threw off the protective foam covering that laid across the top, before stopping to admire the sight before him. Weiss immediately recognized her family logo sewn into the red fabric inside the lid with silver thread. 

It was Dust.  _ Purified  _ Dust.

“H-how did you get that?” Weiss asked, ignoring the tremble in her own voice. Roman looked back in surprise, holding one of the crystals in his hand. Unlike weaponized Dust, purified Dust was filtered to the point of just having elemental abilities in it. The crystal itself was almost clear, only having a red tint on the inside, flickering like fire. 

Roman threw the red crystal back into the case lazily, before pulling out a blue one instead. An ice Dust shard. It was a beautiful cyan colour that resembled glass, a cold fog coming from the surface as Roman held it, “I don’t know if you noticed Snow Pea, but we’ve been busy robbing every single piece of Dust in Vale; we hit the jackpot a few days ago with a private shipment.” He looked down to the crystal in his hand, “I guess good things really  _ do  _ come to those who wait.”

He paced closer to Weiss again, lining the Dust piece up with the heiress’ chest haphazardly. Weiss tried to shrug away from the sheer cold of the shard, her chains ringing as she moved. Roman frowned, tilting his head so he could line up the piece more, “I always wanted to know what would happen if you put purified Dust inside a person.” An evil glint formed in the back of his eyes as he met Weiss’ scared blue orbs, “And there’s no better test subject than the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company herself.”

Panic struck Weiss like lightning as she realized what Roman’s plans were, her stomach sinking. She immediately began to writhe in the chains as Torchwick moved back towards the table. Weiss tried to force her semblance to life, grunting in pain as she tensed her body to try and squeeze something- anything out. Nothing appeared, no familiar blue light that she had practiced summoning for years. She hadn’t even noticed Roman coming back up to her until it was too late, a rough gloved hand grasping her tightly by the throat. Weiss gasped in surprise, gritting her teeth as his fingers squeezed the skin below her jaw.

“Now, be a good princess and stay still for me,” Roman mumbled, brandishing the scissors Weiss had seen on the tray earlier to cut the front of her dress open. Weiss let out a choked cry in terror, swinging her leg hard to try and kick the man in front of her. A hand reached out and caught it mid swing, strong fingers digging into her ankle. Weiss glared down to find Neo frowning up at her, a scroll clutched in her free hand that Weiss was positive hadn’t been there earlier.

Weiss didn’t notice the little red light blinking sporadically on it though. 

“LET ME GO!” Weiss screeched as her dress fell from her body freely, landing on the floor along with the scissors Roman had tossed to the side. Weiss’ heart was hammering against her chest, the thumping reverberating in her ears like a drum beat. A shiver rushed down her spine, goosebumps rising along her pale skin, having been left in nothing but her undergarments. An embarrassed flush covered her face as she fought against the chains, glaring poisoned daggers at Roman. He lifted a brow in admiration, his eyes lingering on the heiress’ slim but toned body, before pulling a syringe from his pocket. 

“I don’t know how much of this stuff is enough to kill,  _ buuuut  _ I’m sure we’ll find out at some point,” he said, pulling Weiss’ head to the side as he lined the needle up to the first vein he could find. He snorted as he pressed the tip to the skin, the pure Dust inside immediately leaving a white, frozen dot in its place. He jammed his thumb against a particularly painful spot on Weiss’ throat, making the girl in his grasp wince. “Hickeys?” He laughed, “What would dear ol’ daddy Schnee say about that?”

Weiss had readied a viscous remark back on her tongue when she felt the frozen needle slide beneath her skin quickly. The heiress whimpered in fright, wriggling her body desperately as she tried to get free. Suddenly, a blistering amalgamation of burning and frozen pain shot through Weiss like a bolt of electricity. She let out a pained yelp, curling in on herself as the cold pain spilled across her shoulder. Deep, ragged breaths racked her chest as she tried to breathe through the pain, but each second it just got worse, like millions of tiny needles pressing deeper and deeper into her skin.

It was like someone had spilled molten metal across her shoulder and neck, bolts of pain shooting up her neck and back down along her arm as the Dust traveled through her bloodstream. Her muscles tensed up, a deep drilling sensation running through her joints. Her eyes were glued shut in pain, loud, desperate wheezes of air coming from her mouth as she desperately tried to overcome the white hot agony flowing through her. 

“Well now, that was exciting,” Roman said aloud, before lifting another needle to Weiss’ collar bone, “What if we put some in here?”

Weiss let out another cry of anguish as the monster in front of her injected more of the purified Dust underneath her skin, the pain instantly refreshed across her body. Her vision was filled with white dots as the searing pain in her shoulder flowed down her back, burning its way across her body like a spill of lava. A sob escaped her. What had Weiss done to deserve this? She had tried to be a good person, she had been learning. She had improved so much, she had made  _ friends _ . So why- why were the Gods punishing her so cruelly like this?

Weiss felt tears stream from her eyes as the pain slowly- ever so slowly ebbed away, settling into a frigid frostbite along her chest. She heaved, her hair covering her face as she fought to regain herself. She found herself shivering as the hot pain subsided, replaced by a sub zero sensation along her body, a cold so sharp that it settled across her bones and formed prickly ice crystals of their own beneath her skin. She couldn’t feel any of her chest, the numbness fading away just below her ribs. She coughed, her throat raw from her cries. She didn’t know how long it had been. It was hard to breathe, a weight having settled across her lungs.

A hand grasped her hair, tugging her face up to look up. Angry violet eyes glaring at her through the cheap plastic. The white masked man examined her face, before spitting in it and dropping the girl’s head carelessly. “Schnee scum. Time for you to suffer for all the pain our comrades had to go through.” He pressed his hand against the raw wound along Weiss’ chest, a pained whimper coming from the heiress, “‘You watching Jacques Schnee? This is what happens when you mess with the White Fang!” He tilted his head back to the hanging woman before him, before slamming his fist hard into Weiss’ stomach. She answered with a hoarse cry of agony. “You will release the faunus you treat unfairly, or watch your daughter suffer.”

“Wh...Why?” Weiss breathed, looking through the shadows of her silvery bangs, “Why are you doing this? What do you get out of it?”

Weiss was quickly silenced by another rough punch to the side of her jaw, a metal ring cutting into skin just above her eyebrow, “I didn’t say you could speak,  _ wretch _ .” He grabbed her hair again, tugging her body down sharply to look him in the eyes. Weiss looked through glassy vision, finally noticing the tall ears that poked from beneath his hood. “Someone called for you to be knocked down a peg or two, and we gladly accepted.”

Weiss’ heart lurched at the man’s words. Someone had called? He jerked her head up further, her neck screaming in agony at the unwanted motion. Her muscles were almost so tense they were solid, and Weiss could’ve swore she heard them pop while she moved. “What..do you.. mean?”

“That’s for you to find out,” he said as he brandished another cursed syringe. He looked to Neo, who was standing close behind him, her scroll still clutched tight in her fingers, “Besides, as long as we have another Schnee to beat up, who cares? Now we have something to do while we wait for that human to finish those experiments of his.”

Weiss looked at the new syringe in distress, unable to move her numb body as the crazed criminal came closer again. He sauntered behind Weiss, looking for the perfect place to continue his sick experiments before pressing the tip of the needle into the crooks of Weiss’ spine. Weiss cried, white hot, piercing pain ripping up her spine and across her upper back. The crushing feeling sank deep into her body and across her skin, her chest growing heavier while her breathing grew shallow. She wheezed desperately, trying to get some form of oxygen into her lungs, but her throat was swelling faster than she could breathe.

Her vision wavered, her strength suddenly slipping away from her as she began to run out of air. Thick black fog clouded her vision quickly, her world fading in a stark collection of white and black dots. Her head dropped, laying against her chest as her body grew numb and distant. She didn’t fight the embrace of the darkness, her vision completely failing on her. A faint red shadow mocked her from the distance, the particular smell of roses forming in her nose. 

Weiss recognised her immediately, a feeling of regret and guilt pooling in her gut. She couldn’t give up yet. She couldn’t abandon Ruby yet, not after she had promised to be the best partner ever. She needed to hold out. Ruby would come for her, Weiss knew she would. She just needed to have faith.

Ruby would come.


	7. Eye of the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can we not beat around the bush? Do you have updates for us or not?” She growled. This time Blake didn’t raise her hand to calm her, perhaps starting to grow impatient herself. If she was, she was masking it well. Glynda’s eyes narrowed for a second time, looking back at Ozpin as he stood from his chair and turned his back to the girls.
> 
> “I do.”
> 
> Yang bristled in anticipation, “You do? Then tell us, old man!”
> 
> “Yang,” Blake warned, her voice low. Yang growled, foldinging her arms. Ozpin was really starting to get on her already fraying nerves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: Fixed some things, added some others. Just small updates.
> 
> A tad late, but better sooner then later!
> 
> ALSO- WHO- PEOPLE ARE DRAWING FANART FOR THIS- BRO DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I CRIED WHEN I SAW THEM HOLY MOLY-  
> HUGE, MASSIVE, HOLY THANK YOU TO @Akakumu43 on Twitter, and @aileanius on Tumblr!! I really appreciate any art this gets qwq and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it as much as I am enjoying writing it!
> 
> Till next time!

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

The sound of mechanical clock gears turning at the top of Beacon tower filled Professor Ozpin’s office.

His workspace was said to remind students of the concept of time, something the professor himself was always anxious of. He was always afraid of running out of it, of his own time coming to an end. 

In a way, his never-ending life resembled a clock. The various hands from each life would move for years, decades even. With each life-cycle, a new beginning. Not unlike pointers revolving for each new hour. However, therein lied a fundamental difference: time had no remorse. If you missed something, time moved on, whether you liked it or not. It had claimed countless victims, himself included.

But now, it seemed time’s lack of remorse had reached its tendrils out to another, leaving Ozpin to deal with the very human feeling of failure and regret.

The news of Weiss Schnee’s disappearance had been... distressing, to say the least. For more reasons than one. 

From an outside viewer’s perspective, a student from Beacon had gone missing and supposedly been abducted by the very organisation she had attempted to take down several months prior. Though, it was indeed strange how only Miss Schnee had been kidnapped on those grounds, leaving Miss Rose behind as witness. But the issues at hand did not end there.

Next came the White Fang’s ruthlessness, especially considering Miss Schnee’s heritage... Well, it upped the stakes. Ozpin had yet to receive any ransom requests or threats. There was always a chance that they would never be delivered to him personally, but rather sent directly to her family. He advised Ironwood to increase security around the cities as a precaution, and not to inform Weiss’ sister, Winter Schnee, about the situation as of yet.

Winter Schnee was much unlike her father. She still held some form of loyalty towards her sibling. She had sent a letter of recommendation to Beacon secretly before Weiss had joined, warning Ozpin of her attitude and need to be perfect. It had been partly the reason why Ozpin had not made Weiss leader of team RWBY. He’d witnessed her personality on display during the initiation, but he’d also witnessed how she’d reacted to being around young Ruby Rose. 

They’d clicked immediately, once their initial differences were hashed out. Ozpin didn’t regret his choice of placing team RWBY together. It had proved to be one of his better choices yet. RWBY had become as prestigious as their top team, CVFY, had been in their younger years. They were already a tight knit family after only two years, which was exactly why Weiss’ capture was affecting them so badly. To have family ripped away so suddenly was a painful experience.

Glynda had been helping in the investigation where possible, however, there was not much either of them could do without legality issues forming. The vice Headmaster stood behind him, checking through scroll logs of the students and attempting to find Weiss’ student number. If they were lucky, they would be able to find her scroll and any similar scrolls that may have pinged off the CCT at the same exact time, in the same area. They could use that to help pin down exactly who the assailants were. So that they could, at the very least, find some suspects.

He peered over as the elevator bell leading to his office rang with a ‘ding’. He’d been updating the remains of team RWBY the best he could. He knew their leader had been hospitalised after the attack too. She was yet to wake up which added more to the headmaster’s burden. She was a key witness in all of this, and without her view on the situation, it would be unwise to plan. The doors to the elevator opened.

“I hope you are well, children” Ozpin began, hands tied together just under his chin while he watched the two remaining members of RWBY walk from the elevator towards his desk. Yang led the charge while Blake trailed close behind, both girls looking just as tired and exhausted as each other. They had murky, dark bags under their eyes, trudging about sluggishly. Ozpin narrowed his own exhausted eyes, noting how Yang’s hair had a light, fiery glow.

“It’s been three days, Ozpin,” Yang grumbled loudly as they finally reached the glass desk. Yang hadn’t slept much during those three days and when she managed, her sleep was wrecked by nightmares of finding her sister dead in the forest. To say she was irritable was a dangerous understatement. “Do you have any leads at all, or are we going to have to wait until we find Weiss’ body strung up on a tree somewhere!?”

Blake pressed a hand onto Yang’s shoulder, feeling how hot the girl's aura was. Yang’s muscles relaxed slightly at the feeling of Blake’s soft touch, but her gaze remained hard on Ozpin who wore a judging one. Glynda frowned in annoyance at the girl's tone but did not comment, too preoccupied with searching for Weiss’ credentials to raise her voice.

“Patience is important, Miss Xiao Long,” Ozpin hummed, ignoring Yang's threatening tone. The blonde huffed in frustration, her hair brightening up another notch. She muttered something harsh under her breath, low enough for Ozpin not to hear. He decided to ignore that too. “How is Miss Rose? Is her recovery going well?”

“She’s still asleep, unfortunately.” Blake answered quickly, letting her hand fall from Yang’s shoulder as she spoke while stepping forward. “The nurses underestimated the dosage of Midazolam that she was exposed to. She’s fully healed from her wounds, but she’s due to wake up anytime now.”

“I am sorry to hear that.” Ozpin lifted his mug to his mouth to take a sip of coffee, before letting it fall to the table again, “I assure you she is in the hands of some of the best healers I know, but I’m afraid they can do little for someone who is asleep.”

“Thank you, professor. We appreciate everything you’ve done so far.” Blake bowed her head respectfully.

Yang’s arms fell to her sides with a sigh, looking between Blake and Glynda as her temper began to build. She’d been dragged away from her sister for this, and so far it had been a colossal waste of her time. Ruby could be waking up right now, lost, confused and in pain. Yang was supposed to be there for her when she woke up, but Ozpin was dragging whatever this was supposed to be, out.

“Can we not beat around the bush? Do you have updates for us or not?” She growled. This time Blake didn’t raise her hand to calm her, perhaps starting to grow impatient herself. If she was, she was masking it well. Glynda’s eyes narrowed for a second time, looking back at Ozpin as he stood from his chair and turned his back to the girls.

“I do.”

Yang bristled in anticipation, “You do? Then tell us, old man!”

“Yang,” Blake warned, her voice low. Yang growled, foldinging her arms. Ozpin was really starting to get on her already fraying nerves.

“Luckily for us, team CFVY was in Vale before the storm hit,” Ozpin looked beyond the school, to the angry black clouds and lightning across the ocean that held them hostage on the school grounds, “Naturally, once they heard of your predicament, they offered to help.” The man looked back to his own reflection, before Blake noticed him watching them through the glass.

“We sent them to follow the tracks you found in the forest. They lead to an abandoned Dust refinery a few hours outside the city,” Ozpin continued, turning back to face team RWBY before him, “Which strangely had brand new Dust delivery trucks parked outside.”

“So?” Yang asked, looking at Glynda, who had finally moved from her spot by a supportive pillar nearby. Blake, unlike her partner, had picked up on the headmaster’s hints. She looked between the two teachers.

“Why would there be new deliveries at an abandoned Dust refinery?” She said out loud. Ozpin smiled as he witnessed Yang catch on to her partner’s train of thought. The Dust refineries in Vale hadn’t been used since the war. Buildings were scattered everywhere as relics of the past, decaying and rotting, a remnant of the great war. Many had been demolished, but some still survived. This was one such building.

“We believe it’s a White Fang hideout.” Glynda responded, pressing her scroll to the desk. A photo appeared in the form of a hologram, taken from what looked like a tree. It depicted an abandoned building that looked dangerously old, that reached to be several stories tall. The roof looked as if it had caved in years ago, multiple windows were smashed, but new SDC trucks were parked outside in a neat line. The vehicles blocked the main entrance or where the entrance should’ve been.

“This Dust refinery in particular is quite large on the inside. The perfect place to hide anything the White Fang would ever need to; Dust, guns, prototype robots...” Glynda finished, before peering over her glasses to Yang and Blake with a sharp look. “...or for holding hostages.”

“Have CVFY gone in yet?” Yang asked, her previous temper having been replaced with desperate curiosity. Headmaster Ozpin shook his head. “Why not?!”

“We already have one injured and one missing from the second most prestigious team in Beacon, Miss Xiao Long. Should Team CFVY be compromised, or turned into even more hostages, their safety, the school’s and I, would be in serious trouble,” He explained, his own eyes fixated on the photograph. “We are also unsure if Miss Schnee is even in there. She could have been moved to other premises. The rain may have washed away fresh tracks before we could find them. But most importantly, we don’t want the White Fang to know we’re onto them.”

“That’s not all-” Glynda started, only for a woosh of sweetly scented air to fill the room.

“She’s not here....”

Blake and Yang whipped around at the sound of a soft, high pitched voice, finding the tired form of Ruby Rose to be standing in the door of the elevator. Several rose petals had settled around her feet, a sign she had used her semblance to reach the elevator, likely to escape the infirmary. Her hair was ruffled and sticking out everywhere, but her eyes were bright and angry. 

She wore a loose fitting tank top and some fluffy trousers belonging to her pajamas. She looked like she had just woken up and immediately raced to the office, which in hindsight, was probably what happened. Blake could easily imagine the exasperated nurses being left behind buried in rose petals as a red tornado rushed out of the building.

“Ruby!” Yang exclaimed in surprise, rushing to stand by her sister. She skid to a halt in front of the small brunette, crouching down to help her younger sibling stand. Ruby’s aura was practically non-existent. She must’ve used what little she’d regenerated to fuel her semblance to get here, Yang noticed with a disapproving frown. “What are you doing here? You should be resting!”

“Where’s Weiss?” Ruby growled, shoving past her sister and towards Ozpin’s desk. Blake blinked as their leader stopped in front of her, surprised to see the girl walking around so suddenly. An hour ago she had still been asleep and attached to drips and monitors. Blake’s eyes moved to Ruby’s elbow, where smeared blood covered her skin. She was massaging the joint with her thumb. She must’ve ripped the needle free in her panic.

“Miss Rose, it is good to see you awake,” Ozpin hummed, surprised to be facing the leader of team RWBY already. “I must admit, I wasn’t expecting you to join us.” He crossed glances with Glynda. “Do you remember who attacked you?”

“The White Fang. They followed us from the docks,” Ruby answered immediately, purposely leaving out the fact that they’d visited a black market. She took a deep breath, clearing her head of the heavy feeling that had set in since she’d woken up. “They jumped us while we were in the forest. Roman Torchwick led them.”

Yang jogged back from the elevator to stand beside her sister, grabbing the smaller girl’s shoulder tightly and spinning her to meet Yang’s horrified features, “Torchwick? As in, Dust robber, giant-robot, tried-to-kill-you-three-times Torchwick? You fought him alone?!”

“We didn’t really get a chance to fight,” Ruby explained, rubbing the back of her neck where she’d been darted, “We were knocked out before we even knew what was happening.”

“So, now Roman Torchwick is also involved in this predicament,” Ozpin hummed, his gaze hardening as he thought, “This situation is getting worse and worse by the minute-”

Suddenly, Glynda let out a low gasp, her eyes widening behind glasses as she watched something on her scroll. The headmaster looked across to her as she grew pale, “Glynda? Is something the matter?”

“Professor, I-I think you need to see this,” Glynda mumbled, connecting her scroll wirelessly to the glass desk’s computer. 

“A video? Where did you get this?” Professor Ozpin asked.

Ruby turned back to meet the gaze of their headmasters as Ozpin pressed a key on his keyboard, the photo of the half-ruined building quickly replaced by a blurry shot of colours. A play icon sat in the middle of the screen.

“I found this while attempting to log into Miss Schnee’s scroll,” the Huntress explained, her voice laced with discomfort. “It’s a video dated to last night.”

“You guys can check our gallery?” Yang asked, a mortified look in her eyes. Ozpin nodded silently, furiously typing on his keyboard as he typed out the access code to play the encrypted footage before them. 

“It’s a safety measure, for cases such as this one” Ozpin briefly explained, looking through the timeframe data of the video. Just as Glynda had said, the video had been recorded on Weiss’ scroll late the previous night and sent to an encrypted number that not even Ozpin could decipher.

“Brace yourselves,” Glynda warned, “This isn’t going to be pleasant.”

“What is it?” Blake asked. 

“Just watch.”

Ruby took a breath through her teeth as the video began to play, voices and sounds slowly coming to life. If this was found on Weiss’ scroll, maybe it could show them where she was.

“LET ME GO!”

Ruby’s blood ran cold.

Situated in the middle of the screen was none other than Weiss, the dress she’d been wearing to their date dirtied and fallen to the floor. Her arms reached above her head, chained tightly together while she hung from the ceiling. Dark, ugly bruises rose from her pale wrists and up her arms, as well as around her neck. 

Weiss looked terrified.

“I don’t know how much of this stuff is enough to kill, buuuut I’m sure we’ll find out at some point.”

Ruby’s eyes fixated on the white coated figure that moved back towards Weiss, recognising the orange hair of Roman sticking out from under his bowler cap. She hissed, seething anger forming in her heart. She balled up her fists as he ran his fingers along Weiss’ bruised neck, before muttering something too quiet for Ruby to make out into the girl’s ear. Weiss opened her mouth to say something, but whatever words were supposed to come out was quickly replaced with a shrill whimper.

Ruby shut her eyes with a gasp as Weiss began to scream. The video kept going, but Ruby forced herself not to pay attention. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, falling from her chin with thick drops and soaking into her chest. This was her fault, this was all her fault. She should’ve known better than to trust a faunus in a Black Market-

“..Ru...by…”

Ruby’s head shot up with a panicked breath, her chest too tight to breathe. Torchwick was gone now, instead replaced by a stronger, meaner White Fang grunt holding brass knuckles between his fingers. Tall ears reached up out of his hood, while one of those Grimm masks covered his eyes and hid his identity. Crimson stained his jacket in splotches.

Behind him, Weiss was bloody and bruised, and so pale. She had strange white spots dotting her shoulders that she couldn’t make out, they were so faint that Ruby didn’t even know if they were really there to begin with. Ruby could’ve sworn Weiss was staring through the screen at her, her exhausted icy eyes staring straight to the pits of Ruby’s soul, pained and hurting and desperate for help. Ruby felt fresh tears fall from her eyes, her trembling hands reaching up to cover her mortified face as she watched on. She felt so helpless. Ruby was supposed to be a huntress. She was supposed to help people! What good was she if she couldn’t even save her best friend...

The faunus sneered and turned back to the hanging young woman, whose eyes shifted from the camera to face him again. She opened her mouth, as if she was going to say something, but fell silent as brass knuckles met her bruised ribs. Ruby held back a cry to stop, a sharp metallic taste filling her mouth as she bit her tongue. Weiss didn’t even make a noise as she was struck again, another wheezy cough being interrupted as thick blood flew from her lips and onto the White Fang’s mask.

“We want Faunus freedom and equality by the end of the week, Schnee, or your daughter is dead!”

And then, the video ended.

The room was silent as everyone recovered from what they had seen. Glynda turned the video off just as another roar of thunder erupted over the school. 

Ruby’s shoulders tensed as she struggled to catch her breath, turning away from the desk to try and get a hold of herself. All it took was Yang’s touch to prompt Ruby to cling to her elder sister’s chest desperately and sob into it as her emotional walls shattered beneath the force of what she’d just witnessed. Her legs slipped from beneath her, Yang’s arms holding onto her tightly as she settled on the floor beside her. Her chest muffled the cries that were coming from her baby sister as she wept. She’d seen her like this once before, and once was certainly enough for her. 

“I-” Even Ozpin himself appeared horrified from what he’d just witnessed, quickly swiping off the video and holding Glynda’s scroll out for her to take, “This is now a matter outside of our hands.”

“What?!” Yang cried, her eyes lighting up a violent red, “You’re not suggesting we just leave Weiss to die, are you?!” So help her if he was…

“Of course not, Miss Xiao Long, but you must understand, it would be irresponsible of me to send children on such a delicate rescue mission.” Ozpin said back harshly, “I understand she is your teammate, but this is outside of your abilities.” He sighed heavily, wringing his hands together as he stood from his desk. “Glynda, please track where that footage came from.”

“The data is almost identical to the Dust refinery we were suspicious of earlier,” She responded quickly, “Shall I send an email to Mr. Schnee?”

“Wait wait wait!” Yang yelled, leaving Ruby to Blake as she stood back to her feet “If the White Fang knows the army is coming they’ll kill Weiss on the spot! This is ridiculous! You have to send us in! We’ve dealt with these guys before!”

“Absolutely not,” retorted Glynda. Yang’s hair sparked, a sign that she was about to combust any moment. Blake watched silently as Yang got hotter, gently stroking the back of Ruby’s head and quietly purring in attempts to calm her down. She was trembling like a leaf.

“But-!” Yang went to argue, yet Glynda had already pulled out her crop in warning.

“This is a non-negotiable matter, Miss Xiao Long,” Glynda warned, her eyes flickering to Ruby’s crumbled form on the floor, “Your teammates are distraught, and your leader has only woken up from a coma in hospital. Do you truly believe you could take on an entire terrorist organisation in such a state?”

Yang’s resolve faltered, “N-no, but-”

“Then it’s settled,” she concluded, putting her crop away as Yang’s flames died out again. “Neither you, nor any other student, will be joining in on this endeavor.”

Ozpin sighed, looking back out to the storm that raged outside, “Just to be sure, all student travel from Beacon will be banned until Miss Schnee is recovered.”

“Professor, that’s unfair!” Blake finally spoke up, her voice threaded in betrayal, “What about the Vytal Festival? Students are still arriving from the other continents.”

“If the White Fang are kidnapping students of skill, then it would be foolish to allow so many to gather in one area.” Ozpin hummed, “They shall wait until this situation has been defused.”

Blake’s eyes grew dull in worry, looking back at her own partner, who was still on edge due to the current state of things. Ruby curled up closer into Blake’s chest, seeking some kind of warmth. Blake pressed closer to the girl, sharing some of her aura to reassure her. Yang bit her lip. “When will you two be leaving?”

“As soon as we can. Now, please return to your dormitories.”

Yang’s shoulders sagged with a tired sigh.

“Yes Professor.” She hummed, crouching down beside her sister and asking Ruby something about moving. The quiet girl nodded after a long moment, being lifted into Yang’s arms with the help of Blake, still curled up against her chest. Blake looked back at Ozpin and Glynda with narrowed eyes as the elevator opened. Soon, all three girls had disappeared behind metal doors, heading back towards the dormitories to rest and recollect themselves.

Glynda let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose where her glasses usually sat, “What a disaster.”

“Agreed,” He responded calmly, reaching for his mug again “The involvement of Roman Torchwick is deeply concerning.”

“What would a petty thief like Roman want with a Schnee? If it was ransom, surely a notification would’ve gone out by now,” Glynda continued, her own gaze watching the rolling clouds. 

“It wasn’t a ransom kidnapping.” Ozpin hummed from inside his cup of coffee, “A shipment of highly secretive Dust was hijacked last week and the White Fang have been quiet for some time. I don’t believe those are coincidences, nor do I think Roman is in charge.”

Glynda raised a brow, “What are you insinuating?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Ozpin responded, his eyes thin and calculating, “But if Miss Schnee is found alive, I have my doubts that she will ever be the same person again.” He glanced down to the courtyard, where Yang and Blake were jogging through the muddy rain like a torch in the night. 

“Do you think they’ll listen to your orders?” Glynda asked, watching them as well.

“I don’t expect them too,” Ozpin huffed, taking another sip of his, now cold, coffee, “In fact, I expect them to leave as soon as they can.”

“Are you testing their abilities?”

“I’m testing their bond.” he corrected, “Tell Ironwood to send Winter to the Dust refinery tomorrow, along with a first-aid unit.”

“Sir?” Glynda asked quizzically as the headmaster turned back to his desk. “No soldiers?”

“We have two of the most prestigious huntsmen groups in Beacon on the scene already,” Ozpin said with a smile, “Why would we need soldiers?”

-

The RWBY dorm was silent.

The air in the room was heavy and thick with emotions. Ruby had fallen to Weiss’ bed and not moved or spoken to either of her remaining team members. Blake had given her Weiss’ hair piece that she’d found in the forest, careful with the fragile glass ornament. She’d kept it safe ever since recovering it, but Blake felt it belonged more to Ruby than to her. She had no right to hold onto it, and it felt wrong for an ex-White Fang member to keep it. Ruby had taken it in shock, tears immediately springing to her eyes at the sight of it.

Ruby was hunched over on Weiss’ bed, holding the heiress’ shattered glass hairpiece between her fingers. She carefully ran the pad of her thumb across the cracked ridges, her throat tightening as her emotions slowly threatened to crush her alive. Weiss always wore it in her hair, and Ruby had once thought it was made of ice. It felt sick to hold it in her hands.

“Can you believe Ozpin?!” Yang growled, her fists tightening on her lap, “I mean, he has some nerve telling us not to go after Weiss after what we just saw!”

“He’s just trying to protect us, Yang.” Blake said, but she didn’t believe her own words. She was just as annoyed as Yang was with the situation, but getting verbally angry would only put a wedge between them and their headmasters.

“Protect us my ass!” The brute continued, “We’re not going to listen to him are we?!”

“No,” Blake said, “But he was right about one thing, right now we’re not in the right place to go find Weiss ourselves. It’d be suicide.”

“What about team CFVY?” Yang suggested, “They’re over in Vale, why don’t we just message them?”

Blake pondered the idea for a moment, before nodding, “It’s worth a shot, at least.”

“This is my fault,” Ruby murmured, her voice breaking while she interrupted the other two in the room, “this is all my fault-”

Yang’s eyes widened, quickly jumping from Blake’s bed to sit beside her distressed younger sister. She wrapped an arm around Ruby’s trembling shoulders, tightly squeezing her against her own body. She looked down, trying to catch Ruby’s eye, “No- No Rubes, none of this is your fault.”

“But it is!” Ruby cried, pulling away from her sister to stand between the beds. Her hands were wrapped around the glass hair piece so tight that her fingers were going white, warm blood trickling out of her palm as the sharp edges cut into her grip. Yang’s arm hovered in the air for a moment longer, before letting it drop to her side again.

“It’s all my fault!-” Ruby choked on the lump in her throat, tears filling her eyes. She looked back down and loosened her grip on the glass slightly to look at the blood in her hands. She sobbed, falling to her knees as her breath got caught in her throat. “It’s my fault she’s gone...”

Blake rose from her bed, carefully moving and kneeling in front of her best friend. Yang didn’t move, knowing Blake was the softer of the two. The Faunus carefully grabbed Ruby’s chin, lifting her teary eyes to meet Blake’s own. Ruby watched them for a second, before breaking and falling against Blake’s shoulder and letting out a pitched cry.

“We’ll get her back, Ruby,” Blake purred, gently stroking the back of Ruby’s head as she had done earlier. She could feel a growing, damp patch on her shoulder as Ruby’s shoulders shook. Blake rested her hand gently on the crown of Ruby’s head, her cat ears flattening against her head. “But we need to know how this happened before we do. Others could be in danger.”

Ruby sniffed, lying against Blake’s shoulder a little while longer. Part of Blake wondered if the rose had even heard her at all, but the girl pulled her head away slowly. She wiped her eyes with her wrist, folding her legs as she sat back. Yang joined them on the ground.

“We.. We went to the black market-”

“What?!-” Yang blurted, before Blake’s hand was quickly planted over her mouth. Blake glared at her, before nodding for Ruby to continue.

Ruby looked down to the ground in shame, “I- I’ve been going for a little while. I thought it would be safe. We were only there for ten minutes.” She sighed, watching as her aura knit the cuts on her hands closed. “Weiss didn’t want to go in, and I should’ve listened to her. She knows more about these things than I do.” She sighed again.

“You went in?” Blake prompted quietly. Ruby nodded.

“We went to a baker I’d been visiting. Her name’s Amber-” Ruby’s features turned into an angry scowl “She’s the one who sold us out.”

“Was she a Faunus?” the feline girl asked. Ruby nodded.

“She was a fox. I think. Everyone there was a Faunus of some sort.”

“Then it was probably a White Fang trading center.” Blake muttered, finally dropping her hand from Yang’s mouth. The blonde immediately piped up again.

“What were you thinking going to a black market full of Faunus?!” She yelled, “Of course something bad was going to happen! We literally stopped their master plan a few months ago! And once before that, too!”

Ruby flinched, “I know…”

“I could’ve lost you Ruby! You need to be more careful!”

“I know” Ruby repeated with a wobbly sigh, hugging her knees to her chest. She knew she had messed up, and she had realised that the second Roman had told them about Amber. She didn't need her sister to remind her about that. Both Weiss missing without a trace left in behind other than for the gruesome video, and Ruby's aching body were enough of a nasty reminder. She took a heavy breath, her throat tightening as fresh tears gathered in her eyes.

"What happened after that? Did you two notice anything suspicious in the market?" Blake asked, maybe a little too eagerly. Ruby shifted uncomfortably.

"Weiss acted off at one point, bu- but we left quickly after that."

"You didn't see a red bull Faunus anywhere?" Blake pushed again. Ruby frowned.  
"I didn't, maybe Weiss did? There was no b-bull Faunus when we were attacked either."

"Good," Blake sighed, her ears drooping. Yang gave her a suspicious look, studying her partner. Blake's anxiety had risen once she'd mentioned that bull Faunus. A part of Yang wondered if it was something from Blake's time in the cult. She'd mentioned having a partner once or twice, maybe that was it? Yang wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to press for information right now. 

She let it go, turning her attention back to Ruby again, whose eyes were back on the glass hair piece that belonged to her partner.

"What if we never get her back?" Ruby mumbled, her eyes growing cloudy again, "What if she's murdered because she's a S-Schnee?"

"We’ll get her back, Rubes" Yang said. 

Ruby's vision didn't lift, instead she focused on trying to realign the glass pieces together. The shattered edges fit together loosely, some of the tiny fragments having gotten lost when it shattered. Ruby hated holding it. It felt so wrong to hold something so precious to the Ice Queen, but it was the only thing that brought some relief to her strained mind.

“Yang’s right,” Blake said, reaching out and pressing a warm hand to Ruby’s shoulder. “Weiss won’t go down without a fight.”

“Yeah! This is Weiss we’re talking about!” Yang joined, shuffling closer so that she could wrap an arm around Ruby’s neck, “Remember the time she froze me to the ground for using her hairbrush? You all left me there while you went for breakfast!”

Ruby giggled slightly, “She called you a yeti.”

"A yeti, huh?" Yang made a growling noise, before pulling Ruby into a headlock and rubbing her knuckles against Ruby's scalp. The smaller girl let out a cry in surprise, trying to wedge her head out from the death grip. “In my defense, she shouldn’t have left it unattended."

"You stole it off her bed," Blake hummed, a warm smile on her face. Yang waved her off, a grin settling across her lips.

"Psh, it was in my line of sight." She defended, smiling as Ruby’s quiet whines of protest rippled between the bee duo. Yang finally let go of their leader, watching as Ruby sprung back with a gasp and rolled onto her back. She held the top of her head uncomfortably.

"Bully!" Ruby cried in anguish.

Yang stuck out her tongue.

“I’ll get you for that!” Ruby giggled, slowly settling down again. She sighed as the rush left her, a forced smile resting on her. Maybe if she let Yang and Blake believe she was okay, they’d leave her be. Her mind was still clouded and her throat still tight. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better.”

Although Yang’s attempts had managed to lift her spirits a little, the tightness that lingered in Ruby’s chest was almost suffocating, like someone had left a sack full of sand on her chest. Her lower lip still quivered despite her best attempts at stopping it, but luckily for her it seemed Yang had overlooked it or ignored it. 

"You’re totally welcome! I can’t have a depressed younger sister. That’d ruin my vibe.” Yang teased with a wink, “Point is, Weiss is a feisty fighter. Maybe she's already escaped and she's on her way home!" Yang suggested. Ruby hummed unsurely. She didn't know if she believed that, but she appreciated the optimism. 

"You're right," Ruby patted either side of her cheeks, swallowing the bulge in her throat with a hard gulp. "We have to have... hope."

"There's our leader," Blake said with a smile. Ruby laughed half-heartedly, before a loud rumble echoed throughout the room. It got quiet for a minute as the three girls registered where the noise had come from. Ruby's hand landed on her stomach. Yang's eyes widened as Ruby's face turned as red as her cape.

"Was that your stomach?!" She laughed, "It was almost as loud as the thunder outside!"

Ruby closed her eyes in embarrassment, "I- uh, haven't eaten since I woke up."

"Let's go get some food then," Blake suggested over Yang's chuckles, "We'll need to have our strength up for when we're called on for the mission. We can't fight Torchwick on an empty stomach."

Yang rolled onto her back, placing her hands behind her head and hopping to her feet. She placed a hand on her own stomach, "Sounds great! I'm starving!"

"You're always hungry," Ruby remarked, shuffling to her own feet, the glass ornament still clutched in her hand. Yang grabbed Ruby around the neck again, making the smaller girl squeal in surrender.

"You're one to talk!"

Ruby used her semblance to escape Yang's hold, moving to stand by Weiss' bed again. Myrtenaster was laid across the center, alongside a replacement scroll that had yet to be registered. Carefully, Ruby laid the two pieces of the hairpin alongside the other belongings of her partner, making sure either half was lined up as best they could be. A pang of pain struck her heart at the sight, her silver orbs growing glassy again.

"I'll find you, Weiss," Ruby muttered softly, looking at the photo of the four of them in first year, which rested between the beds. Ruby took a breath, looking to the storm outside as tears welled in her eyes again. "Even if it kills me."

-

“How’s our guest doing, Perry?”

The deer scientist looked up in surprise as Roman Torchwick leaned over him, a cigar in his mouth as he examined the screen in front of him. Perry, who’s real name was Jackson Winchester, looked down to his papers quickly, scanning through the results. He pulled up an MRI scan on the screen.

“She- uhm- Her body has adapted well to the implants,” He began nervously, a tremble in his voice as he pointed to the chest on the screen, where it showed chunks of unnatural multicoloured substance sitting below the skin, “The implants have attached themselves to main components of the body, except the lungs. Her heart rate has slowed as well-”

“So she’s going to live?” Roman asked impatiently, picking up a page that recorded vitals from the past few days. The numbers fluctuated a bit at the start, but it had remained consistent the last day and a half. She had been confirmed stable that morning, which was when most of the testing had begun. Roman had to admit, he was impressed. For such a scrawny kid, she sure was determined not to die.

“Y-yes sir, but you can’t do anymore testing for another few days while we wait and see how the Dust reacts to her heart. Her heart rate slowed by only a small bit of Dust entering it” The scientist continued. Roman hummed, leaning on his cane.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning we’re not sure if she’s just waiting to die, or if her body has really accepted the Dust. The dip in her heart rate made her body temperature drop, which is deeply concerning,” He pointed to the paper in Roman’s hands, “It’s unnatural.”

“Well, so is pure Dust,” Roman remarked back, pointing to the screen again, which was now showing surveillance of the room where Weiss still hung. Her wrists had turned a sick purple, which were visible even on camera. A result of her struggling. 

“Keep testing. I want any and all information that I can sell,” Roman ordered, moving away from Perry as he left the lab, “And start immediately.”. Metal doors hissed open in front of him, leading to a hall and a single door built into the wall. He approached the door, lighting a cigar as he waited for it to scan him and approve of his presence.

He didn’t approve of all this technology, or all this high tech testing. He much preferred to just tape someone to a chair and beat them with a crowbar, but that was ‘unprofessional’ in the White Fang, and that a Schnee had to be treated carefully while they waited for the right time to reveal their abomination. 

The end goal was to brainwash this Schnee enough to turn her to the White Fang. A Schnee who sided with a criminal organisation would be valuable, undoubtedly so, but a monster with the Schnee name? That would be perfect. If her implants went off without a hitch, she’d become the perfect monster to release on human kind. A killing machine… They just needed a semblance strong enough to control her mind, which they were in the process of receiving. Someone in Vacuo, but Roman hadn’t been told much.

Of course, that was all wishful thinking. The faunus always aimed too high, Roman had noticed. They were always aiming for the stars, while they waited too long and missed the smaller fish. Just because they had a Schnee didn’t mean they were out of hot waters just yet. That Schnee had a team of very annoying huntresses, an older sister in the army, and a very powerful, very angry father. Roman hadn’t agreed to join this suicidal agenda at first, but hey, money was money, and there was a lot of money.

Finally, the heavy metal door opened with a hiss. He grinned, biting onto the butt of his cigar as he waltzed into the room, “Good morning, Princess! I saw you’re alive and kicking, how surprising! You’re full of little surprises like that, aren’t you?”

Weiss barely lifted her head, a scared eye watching Roman through pale eyelashes. She didn’t talk, not like she could. Roman was pretty sure she’d screamed her voice out during their first few sessions. 

Roman grimaced at the blood that stained the floor, before lifting Weiss’ head to examine the points where he’d pressed the needles under skin. The skin had closed, but disgusting black bruises surrounded her neck. Maybe that was why she couldn’t speak.

“Fear not, Schnee. You’ll be working for us soon, then you won’t remember anything,” Roman whispered. Weiss knit her brows together, taking a pained, deep breath.

“I’ll...never work… for you,” she wheezed out, needing to take a breath for each word. Roman laughed as more scientists joined him. He turned his back on her, lifting a hand to wave at the Schnee as he left.

“We’ll see about that! Goodnight, Schnee!”

Weiss watched in distress as Roman left, before her head fell again. She felt more needles slip beneath her skin as they scientists continued their forsaken tests, her eyes closing as she let the faunus do as they liked. Her pool of hope was drying up, but she hadn’t given up just yet. She just had to keep holding onto the strands of what she had left.


	8. Save Our Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby stared at herself in the mirror, her hands fiddling with the cross shaped clasps tied on either side of her combat uniform. Her fingers were trembling as she stood, a cold sweat already breaking out across her body as she prepared for the mission. Her combat outfit had been cleaned while she’d been out, all of their clothes had. Weiss’ as well, even though she wasn’t there…
> 
> She took a sharp breath, shaking away the dark thoughts that tormented her. “She’ll be okay. You’re going to find her and bring her home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im fashionably late thats all shhh
> 
> Special thanks to my new beta reader, Penny, who helped me fix this chapter (and others). Like I said before, updates won't be consistant while I'm in school, because man it's kicking my ass right now.
> 
> Hope yall enjoy the new chapter <3

Ruby stared at herself in the mirror, her hands fiddling with the cross shaped clasps tied on either side of her combat uniform. Her fingers were trembling as she stood, a cold sweat already breaking out across her body as she prepared for the mission. Her combat outfit had been cleaned while she’d been out, all of their clothes had. Weiss’ as well, even though she wasn’t there…

She took a sharp breath, shaking away the dark thoughts that tormented her. “She’ll be okay. You’re going to find her and bring her home.” Ruby temporarily held her breath as she met her own reflection, her usually silver coloured eyes a dead mercury, the eye white in both red and puffy. She could see the stress-borne bags that had formed under them too: deep, gouged curves that stripped any of her childish youth away from her. She looked exhausted, and, if she had to be honest, she was. 

  
Even now, the memories of nightmares she was trying to repress, were fighting their way back to the forefront of her mind.

_ Ruby stretched her arms up above her head as she walked through a forest, basking in the sunlight that brushed off her bare skin. Actually, now that she thought about it, she wasn’t wearing her combat outfit at all, contrary to previous belief. Instead, she was dressed in her special outfit: her favourite cotton grey long-sleeve jumper and matching button up corset, complemented by a vibrant red skirt and black tights.  _

_ Ruby blinked at herself in shock. The clothes she had on were reserved for very special occasions, stored safely in the back of her dresser. Yang had helped her pick them before coming to Beacon, but why was she wearing them? _

_ “Are you coming, Dolt?” _

_ Ruby laughed nervously, looking up to meet the gaze of her crystal eyed partner with a grin.  _

_ “Yeah, wait for me!” _

_ Ruby jogged up to where Weiss had been standing, or at least, to where Ruby thought she was until a moment ago. She looked around, finding the lakeside to be completely barren of life. Fear clawed at her heart as she swiveled, trying to find her white haired partner. “Weiss? Where’d you go?” _

_ Ruby turned around once more to try and find Weiss, only for her to fall limply into her arms like a dead weight. Ruby grunted in surprise, shifting her footing so she could hold Weiss’ limp body. Panic struck her like lightning. “W-Weiss? H-hey- Weiss?!” _

_ Something kicked her footing out from under her, sending her butt-first to the floor with a hard thump.  _

_ Ruby winced in pain, her back arching as waves of it reverberated up through her spine and tears stung at the corners of her eyes. As she tried to recollect herself, she looked down to check if Weiss was okay- only for her to have miraculously disappeared from Ruby’s arms, replaced by a shattered glass hair piece. Ruby reached for it, jerking back with a yelp as it cut into her palm. _

_ Clutching her hand as it bled, Ruby got back on her feet, suddenly finding herself in a blurry world of white. Everything in her vision was of the stark colour, blinding her momentarily as her eyes readjusted to the sudden change in brightness. She squinted, her sight locking onto a figure watching her not too far away. They were wearing all white too- Ruby squinted harder- Actually, they weren’t wearing anything at all except for their undergarments. _

_ A hot blush crawled up her neck as she realised she was staring at Weiss’ unclothed body, her eyes falling to her feet the instant she noticed. Blood was dripping from her hand to the ground, landing in thick droplets of crimson and painting the floor a dark shade of red.  _ _  
_ _ A foot stood into the now large puddle, rippling Ruby’s reflection back at her. Startled, Ruby took a step back, now face to face with the person she’d been searching for. _

_ “W-Weiss…?”  _

_ “You did this to me.” she snarled back, blood spilling from her lips like syrup every time she opened her mouth. Ruby went to speak, but Weiss cut over her again. “Look at what you did to me. Look. At. Me.” _

_ Ruby did as she was told, shamefully glancing down to Weiss’ body. She was so thin that Ruby could see and count every single bone beneath her almost translucent skin, including how her ribs were misplaced and broken. She could follow a vein from Weiss’ neck down to her chest and to the tips of her fingers almost perfectly, like someone had taken a pen and traced along every single line they could find on Weiss’ body. Stark red wounds and black bruises covered her entire figure, while painful looking burns scarred her chest and shoulders, even up her neck in specks.  _

_ “I- I’m sorry- I was too slow-” Ruby sobbed, tears freely falling from her eyes as she was forced to take in the sight of Weiss’ marred body.  _

_ “They killed me.” Weiss growled, “They murdered me, and you just  _ **_watched_ ** _.” _

_ “N-no!” Ruby sobbed. Weiss stepped closer, the smell of blood and rotting flesh hitting Ruby’s sense of smell like a freight train, causing her throat to tighten. “I-I tried-” She took a shaky breath, trying to meet Weiss’ gaze but failing. “I tried to save- you-” _

_ “I died, Ruby, and it’s all your fault.” _

_ “It’s not! Y-you- they should’ve taken me-” _

_ “Yes, they should have.” Weiss croaked, blood so dark it resembled black spilling from every orifice on Weiss’ face, from her eyes, to her nose, mouth and ears. Even her scar had reopened. “You left me to die, at the hands of the White Fang.” Weiss stepped closer, her nose practically touching Ruby’s.  _

_  
_ _ Ruby held her breath, shutting her eyes so she didn’t have to look at her. A hand came up to hold her jaw, before moving down to squeeze the sides of her throat, gentle at first, but slowly tightening. _

_ “S-Stop it- Weiss, please...” _

_ “I thought you loved me.” _

_ Ruby opened her mouth to answer again, but before she could, Weiss’ grip tightened to a vice, crushing her windpipe and choking her. She had no expression on her face as her grip got impossibly tighter, ignoring Ruby’s struggles and wheezes, her arm unmoving despite Ruby’s attempts to dislodge it. Ruby kicked at her, but she didn’t budge. _

_ “We..iss..” Ruby wheezed, her knees bending beneath her as she struggled. The Schnee didn’t react, her piercing gaze locked on Ruby’s as she fell.  _

_ “You told me you loved me.” _

_ Hot tears fell from Ruby’s eyes, black dots filling her vision as she began to fade. _

_  
_ _ She did, she loved Weiss more than anything. She would say it if she could, but Ruby couldn’t make any sounds while Weiss had her hands around her throat. Any attempt just ended with her choking on her tongue, bringing forth a gargled sound. _

_ “You  _ **_promised_ ** _.”  _

_ Ruby’s eyes rolled into the back of her head, her lungs about to burst. Her hands slipped from Weiss’ wrists, falling limp to rest at her sides, her struggle finally coming to an end. Weiss held her by the neck as Ruby’s last bit of life essence slipped through her fingers like grains of sand, hearing a dull crunch as her neck finally broke under the force.  _

**_“You lied.”_ **

Ruby woke up with a start. She spent the rest of the morning crying silently, disappearing into the bathroom as soon as the alarm Blake had set went off.

Shakily releasing the breath she had been holding in, her eyes fell to look at the sink. Where she realised her hands were gripping the edge so tight her knuckles were snow white. “You’ll find her.”

It had only been a day since Ruby woke up in Beacon’s infirmary, kicking and screaming, unaware of where she was. She initially thought that she’d only been unconscious a few hours, but that was disproven by the lack of any injuries and the fact that she was where she was. The startled nurse who assisted her confirmed this as well, recounting the details of her recovery as she desperately tried to hold Ruby still to prevent the injured girl from thrashing around in panic and tearing out her IV, which she still managed to do anyway.

Everything had only gotten worse once Ruby had arrived at Ozpin's office, scraggly and barely awake. She’d ridden the elevator to the top of Beacon tower with the desperate, fleeting hope to see Weiss safe and sound and most importantly:  _ alive _ . Yet, when the doors finally slid open, Ruby had been horrified to find out that Weiss was still missing from the rest of their team, which only meant that those Faunus who had jumped them, the members of the White Fang, still had her in their dirty clutches.

“Ruby?”

Ruby jumped as Yang’s voice broke through her thoughts, interrupting the streak of worries that was plaguing her mind. She caught her breath, bringing her hands back to the original task, quickly finishing up clasping her crimson cape to her shoulders, “Y-yeah! I’m coming…!”

Today was the day that they set out to rescue Weiss from whatever hell she was being exposed to. The storm that had been raging over the past few days had slowly started to dissipate, leaving behind heavy showers of rain and the rumble of dangerous thunder. 

Of course, Ozpin and Glynda weren’t aware of what they were going to do. A curfew had been set on all Beacon students, one that Glynda herself was enforcing. Nobody was allowed out of Beacon for any reason whatsoever, and if you were to be caught trying to escape or outside the grounds’ perimeter without permission, you could face immediate expulsion from Beacon, a rather permanent consequence, which had scared most of the students enough to listen, but not team RWBY.

Blake had spent most of the night checking out shipments coming into and from the school. She’d scoped out the dockyards where all the food supplies came in, and had found a lone pilot in a ship that was set to return to Vale by midday. Initially, he’d been reluctant to follow along, out of fear of losing his flying license but Blake had managed to convince him with a little bribery. He would take them to Vale in his ship’s cargo compartment, albeit in secret. There was a catch though, as he warned that, if they were to be late, he’d leave regardless, without a second thought. 

Meanwhile, Yang had visited team JNPR across the hall to inform them of their plan. They had been a little skeptical and mostly concerned for their friends, rather than for the punishment they were risking, but they had agreed to help cover for them, should anyone ask where they’d disappeared to. The plan was to tell anyone who asked that the team had come down with the flu from being out in the rain, and that they wanted to be left alone so they could recover. Weiss’ disappearance also doubled as an excuse, one that they hoped  _ most  _ teachers would understand.

Grabbing her belt from the counter as she moved to leave, Ruby mindlessly wrapped it around herself as she had done thousands of times before. Her fingers reacted with muscle memory as she tightened it, before sliding the remaining leather beneath a loop on one end. She was fully stocked up on every ammo type of the trade, as well as Myrtenaster, should Weiss be able to wield her. It was strange holding such a light weapon, but the design suited Weiss perfectly. Sharp and elegant, yet dangerous and powerful.

"You all good to go?" Yang asked as Ruby finally emerged from the bathroom, her belt now tightened snugly against her hips. Ruby nodded quietly, glancing at her half-sister. 

Yang was adjusting the mobility of her gauntlets around her wrists, their chambers opening and closing as she fine-tuned them according to the feel on her arms. Ruby could already see the incendiary rounds loaded into the clips, the red glow standing out against the sunflower yellow paint that covered Ember Celica. The way the blonde was fidgeting while preparing her weapons showed Ruby just how nervous she was about the upcoming mission, but neither member of team RBY could blame her.

They were charging in, almost completely blind, to a White Fang base that could be crawling with Paladins for all they knew and on top of that, there was a chance that Weiss wasn't even there, or  _ alive _ . It could turn out to be all for nothing, but they had to try. Weiss was relying on them to at least  _ try _ . 

“I think so” Ruby said, reaching up onto the end of her bed and lifting Crescent Rose from where she had left her after last night’s cleaning and tuning session. The weapon smelled of newly oiled steel and polish, the joints and mobile parts polished until they reflected her face back at her like a mirror. She checked to make sure the safety was on, before attaching it to the set of magnets stationed on her lower back. It attached smoothly with a click. “I’ve got everything I need, and then some.”

She looked to Blake. “Did you bring the mask?”

The feline nodded, lifting the former White Fang Grimm mask off her hip. “Have it right here. Hopefully they fall for the same trick twice.”

“They ain’t exactly smart.” Yang butted in, her arms folded across her chest. “I mean, they didn’t cover their tracks very well.”

“Don’t underestimate Torchwick.” Ruby warned, her voice low as she unwrapped her breakfast: a protein bar. “That girl who’s always with him is the smart one. If this is the right place, and he’s there, that girl will be there too.”

Yang bristled, grinding her knuckles into her palm with a crack. “Oh yeah, I’ve got unfinished business with  _ her _ .”

“Let’s just focus on getting Weiss out of there first, Yang.” Blake commented, re-attaching the mask to her side. Ruby nodded her assent. They weren’t out for revenge. Once they were in, they needed to grab Weiss and get out as soon, and quietly, as possible. Looking for fights would only compromise their whole operation, and maybe their lives too. Yang sighed gruffly.

“Yeah, I know. Keep cool.”

“Then let’s go.” Ruby hummed, throwing the empty wrapper into the bin by one of the desks and putting her hand on the doorknob. “The pilot said he was leaving around seven.”

.

_ “Hello? This is Coco Adel speaking.” _

_ Ruby sucked in a deep breath as the phone call finally got through, her fingers gripping tighter along the sides of her new scroll. “Coco? It's me, Ruby.” _

_ There was a moment of silence from the other end of the line, allowing even more of Ruby’s anxiety to grow wild. She traded a scared glance with Yang and Blake, who were sitting cross-legged across from her on the floor. Blake’s ears were perked. _

_ “Ruby? Why are you calling from an unknown number?” Coco asked. Ruby laughed awkwardly, glancing to the ruined packaging belonging to the new scroll in her hands, which was currently lying on the floor beside her. _

_ “We didn’t want Glynda to pick up on our phone calls.” She explained. _

_ “...Glynda can tap our phone calls?!” Coco asked dumbfoundedly.  _

_ “Apparently. She’s connected to all our school registered scrolls...” Ruby hummed. She heard someone else’s voice in the background ask Coco who she was talking to, to which Coco shushed them and continued. _

_ “This must be a pretty serious phone call, then.” Coco said, “Did you find something in relation to Weiss?” _

_ Ruby hesitated, her heart panging sorely in her chest. She gulped: “Yeah… Yeah we did.” _

_ “Well?” _

_ “She’s in that Dust refinery you guys found.” Ruby explained, looking up to make sure she had said the right thing. Blake nodded. “She’s… being tortured-” Ruby’s voice broke mid-way through her sentence, the pestering lump swelling in her throat again.  _

_ “Oh Ruby... I’m so sorry-” Coco murmured through the phone, her voice spilling with empathy, “What’s Ozpin doing? When is he sending you guys out?” _

_ “He’s not.” _

_ “...Excuse me?” Coco could not believe her ears. “What do you mean he’s not sending you out?!” _

_ Ruby’s breath hitched in her throat, tears falling from her eyes again as her fragile emotional walls broke down for the fourth time that night. She placed the scroll in the middle of the circle made up by the three members of team RBY, setting the call to speaker mode. Blake cleared her throat. _

_ “It’s Blake. He’s locking down Beacon so that no student can get in or out.” Blake explained flatly, shuffling closer to the device in the middle of the room. “He’s alerting the army of Weiss’ predicament.” _

_ “The old man’s finally gone crazy” Coco huffed, “which means he’ll pull us out too. Doesn’t he realise how dangerous that plan is?” _

_ “That’s what I said!” Yang bellowed, her annoyance still evident, flaring up around her through her semblance. _

_ “We’re going to sneak out.” Blake explained calmly, ignoring the previous remarks from the other two girls. She glanced at the piece of paper the young pilot had handed her earlier, which held the details of when they’d depart. “Tomorrow, first thing in the morning.” _

_ “And you want us to rendezvous with you, right?” Coco asked, already having connected the dots. She sighed, “I don’t know, Ozpin would not be happy.” _

_ “Has that ever stopped you before?” Yang said, folding her arms across her chest as the trio listened. A huff of amusement came over the speaker. _

_ “Nope.” Coco said “We’re in. Where do we meet you guys?” _

_ “The Dead Tree.” Blake answered quickly, checking over the note she’d been given again to make sure she was right. “We’ll be dropped there at around nine. The trees should give us enough room for cover.” _

_ “Wait.” Interrupted Ruby, wiping her face dry with her sleeves. “You guys were near the refinery, right? What do we need to be ready for?” _

_ “Well, a lot of White Fang grunts, that’s for sure.” Coco said, listening as someone beside her said something to her. “Yeah, those too. There’s strange Grimm tracks surrounding that refinery. Unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Fox said they even emitted traces of something akin to an aura.” _

_ The members of team RWBY all looked at each other with an expression of confusion, before coming back to the scroll in front of them.  _

_ “An aura?” Yang repeated, “Wait a second, I don’t pay attention half the time in Grimm studies, but I’m pretty sure Grimm don’t have those.” _

_ “They don’t.” confirmed Blake. “In order to have aura, you need a soul. Grimm don’t have souls, they never have. Their bodies aren’t capable of housing one.” _

_ “So you’re just as confused as we are then.” _

_ “But Fox said he was positive he saw aura around the tracks. It was almost like it was leaking.” _

_ “ _ **_Leaking_ ** _ aura?!” Yang asked. “Well that’s definitely new.” _

_ “Yeah” hummed Ruby, before shaking her head and reverting back to the original reason they’d even called CFVY in the first place. The longer the call went on, the greater the chance they had of getting caught. “We need to hurry up with this call before someone intercepts us.” _

_ “Right.” Coco agreed, taking a long breath. “We’ll meet you three at the Dead Tree around nine tomorrow. We can discuss what happens after that.” _

_ “Okay.” Ruby said with a sigh. “We’ll see you tomorrow.” _

_ “Right. Good night team RWBY.” _

_ “Night Coco.” _

_. _

  
  


Ruby tucked at the hem of her skirt nervously, the roaring sounds of the airship around her filling her ears. She debated cleaning Crescent Rose again, adding another layer of oil to the joints and making sure every bolt was tight.

“Nervous?” Yang asked, hoisting herself onto the empty crate beside Ruby and leaning into her knees. Ruby looked up at the blonde who’d settled nearby, a concerned lilac gaze piercing through her. 

Ruby sighed. “Yeah..”

The elder sister’s shoulders slouched slightly, her brows furrowing, “I don’t blame you. If it were  _ Blake… _ ” She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head like she was trying to shake the idea from her mind. “But I’m sure she’s okay, sis. Your girlfriend is like the second most determined person I have  _ ever  _ met.”

Ruby’s head lifted at the mention of Weiss being her girlfriend, her eyes widening as a blurry memory resurfaced at the forefront of her mind where both Weiss and herself were in the forest, under the shade of a tree and barely a breath away from each other. Her lips tingled as she remembered the soft feeling of Weiss’ perfect neck. A soul crushing sadness pained her heart, a frail smile on her face.

“She... We didn’t get to make it ‘official’ before everything happened.” Ruby explained quietly. Yang’s face fell from the weak hold of hope she’d managed to scavenge. Taking a shuddering breath she continued “Now… now we might not get to.” Her voice broke midway through, swallowing the growing lump in her throat as her jaw began to shake.

“Oh jeez, Ruby... I didn’t know.” Yang quickly said, trying to catch her sister's gaze and failing. “I just thought-”

“Just forget it!” Ruby said with a huff, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes with the palm of her hand. Ruby honestly didn’t know if what had happened between Weiss and her was even real considering what had followed. It felt like a lifetime had passed since Ruby had been in that forest with Weiss. Yang fell quiet for a moment, picking at the corner of her nails with her thumb. Yang shuffled slightly closer, her hot aura brushing off Ruby’s.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” She asked, looking at the dark bags under her sister's eyes. Ruby shook her head quietly, reaching up to rub at her eyes again. “I could tell. You look exhausted, Rubes. Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“Weiss doesn’t have time to waste.” Answered Ruby. “I can sacrifice a few hours of sleep.”

Yang frowned deeper, cocking an eyebrow. “Can you? I mean, you were in hospital up until yesterday.”

The rose shrugged, pulling her cape closer to her shoulders. “It’s not like I could sleep if I wanted to.” She took a heavy breath. “I’ll be fine.”

Yang gave Ruby a stare, putting a hand on her sister’s shoulder, causing the girl to flinch in surprise. “Are you having nightmares again? Was that why you couldn’t sleep? You can tell me about them if you want-”

“Yang, please.” Ruby pleaded, leaning back to meet her sister’s concerned lilac eyes. “I just want to move on and focus on getting Weiss back.” 

“I’m just trying to help-” Yang mumbled.

“I know you are, but Weiss-”

“Weiss this, Weiss that-!” Yang placed both her hands on Ruby’s shoulders. “Ruby _ ,  _ Weiss is relying on us to rescue her. How are you going to do that if you can hardly stay awake?"

"I am awake!" Ruby grumbled, attempting to shrug away from Yang’s grip. Yang's face twisted into one of frustration, letting her hands fall from Ruby's shoulders and slap her own thighs with a sigh.

"What's with you? You're being stubborn." 

Ruby ignored Yang's comment, fiddling with one of the screws along Crescent Rose. The blonde continued anyway. "Maybe spending all that time with the Ice Queen has turned you into her ice pawn. You're starting to act like her from time to time."

Ruby furrowed her brows. "What's  _ that _ supposed to mean?!"

Yang shrugged. "I'm just saying… you haven't eaten much, haven't slept, you're obsessing over tiny details. You’re neglecting yourself for the sake of others..." She huffed slightly, lying flat against the crate the two were currently on. "Keep at it and maybe we won’t even need Weiss back."

Ruby's glare sharpened, unsure if her sister was joking around or being truthful. She sat up straight, her nails scraping the surface of Crescent Rose. "That's not funny, Yang."

There was a hesitant pause for a moment between the two, before Yang let out a heavy sigh. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Before either could say anything more, Blake dropped down from the hatch that led to the pilots cockpit, dusting herself off as she approached her teammates. “Pilot said we’ll be there within the next five minutes. There could be some turbulence over the forest, though.”

Ruby immediately jumped off the crate she’d been sitting on, taking the opportunity to escape the conversation between her and her sister before she said anything she'd regret. Yang sat up as she landed on the floor, lifting her arms into the air to stretch out her stiff, cold muscles, groaning as she did. “Good, get ready to drop out.”

Yang’s eyes followed Ruby as she moved towards the end of the ship, where they’d stored their supplies they’d brought along for the mission. Once Blake was sure Ruby was out of earshot, she turned to face the blonde brawler as her partner too jumped off the crate. 

“What were you two talking about?” Blake asked. Yang huffed.

“Has Ruby seemed different to you?” inquired Yang, watching her sister as she double checked everything in her leather backpack. 

Blake frowned. “Different in what way?”

“She’s been… I don’t know how to explain it. Just,  _ different _ .” Yang leaned against the crate she’d been sitting on. “She’s been distant, and not… Ruby.”

“If your partner and potential girlfriend was kidnapped right in front of you, while you could do nothing but watch, wouldn’t you be distant too?” answered Blake, earning a grunt from Yang. “Ruby’s just caught up in her own thoughts right now, Yang. She’ll come to us when she’s ready.”

“And what if she’s never ready?” 

Blake hummed, placing a hand on the exposed skin of Yang’s arm. “She will be. Just give her time.”

The brawler of the team sighed through her nose, sparing an appreciative glance at Blake before realising Ruby had appeared before them again, holding each of their camping bags in her hands while her own was already tightened onto her back.

“Here.” she said, fixing one of the thin leather straps against her chest as Yang and Blake shrugged their packs on. There wasn’t much in them: first aid, some rations in case of an emergency, extra ammo and Dust, as well as a few other necessities. “We should be there any minute now. C’mon.”

With a breath, she flipped the switch and the heavy metal doors in front of them slid open with a whoosh of air. Ruby’s cape whipped out from behind her, rose petals falling from the roughed up end of it. Her eyes were following the forest floor beneath them, the shadow of the ship casting on the trees far below.

“Try and focus on the mission. The faster we get Weiss back, the sooner we get to go home.” Ruby said, her grip tightening on the support rail to her right. Yang’s shoulders slumped in defeat, moving to stand alongside her sister. The red caped girl steeled herself, looking over the edge to the rushing trees below her. They were getting close. “There’s the tree. Keep your scrolls on so we can reconvene as quickly as possible.”

Ruby pointed to the largest tree in the forest, its twisted branches bare and burnt. It had been struck by lightning several decades ago during a storm, but the trunk was too thick to be cut down. The storm was said to have been brought on by the wrath of the Gods during the Great War, which instantly killed all the fruit that had once grown on its branches and thus sent the nearby village and soldiers of both sides into a famine. Nowadays, it served as a perfect landmark for travelling huntsmen who travelled across Vale on foot.

Without another word, Ruby kicked off from the edge of the ship, the roar of the wind instantly filling her ears as she fell through the air. She immediately noticed how humid it was outside, likely a remnant of the storm that had passed. Humidity meant slippery branches, Ruby noted, reaching back to unhook Crescent Rose from her belt and load the cheapest bullets she had into her chamber. Landing on the branches wasn’t a possibility without the danger of slipping through them, especially given the speed at which they were going. So Ruby had to rely on plan B.

She swung the muzzle of her scythe down towards the quickly approaching ground, before letting off her first shot. Her speed slowed substantially, however she was still in the air. Luckily for her, Crescent Rose wasn’t the lightest weapon on Remnant, so it helped in her descent. She shot another round down, and another, until finally she breached the treeline. 

Extending Crescent Rose out into her full form, Ruby clipped the blade around one of the thicker branches and swung, spinning half a circle before she activated her semblance and safely fell to the ground. She rolled on contact, before hopping back up to her feet with a proud look on her face.

With a smirk, Ruby spun Crescent Rose beside her, before shifting it back to its compact mode and securing it to her back. There was always a feeling of exhilaration whenever she landed perfectly, and even more so when she did it in style. It was a shame nobody was there to witness just how awesome she’d been.

“ _ Focus _ Ruby.” She scolded herself, shaking her head free of any distracting ideas and reaching for her scroll. She flicked it open and brought up the tracker map, finding that Blake hadn’t landed too far away from her and that Yang had practically landed in the giant tree Ruby had pointed out. 

Ruby glanced up, noticing the burnt branches of the tree just peaking through the leaves overhead. She wasn’t extremely far away, but she still wasn’t particularly close. It’d take a few minutes if she ran there. She took a sprinting stance, digging her heel into the mud and started out into her semblance, tearing leaves and berries off branches as a tornado of wind ripped through the forest. Creatures of Remnant and Grimm alike looked up at the sound, however, while some scattered, others moved towards it. The smell of roses was quickly leaving a trail for monsters to follow.

It didn’t take very long for Ruby to reach her destination. The towering sight of the massive, ancient tree broke through the treetops. Up close, it must’ve been as tall as the CCT, maybe even taller. Branches only began to sprout 30 feet up the bark, and even those could’ve been the same width as the trees around them. 

Finally breaking through into the clearing, her feet skidded on some of the murky ground and sent her barreling straight into the side of the tree with a yelp. She grunted as her back slammed off the thick trunk; her world spun upside down with her legs in the air. She groaned as she felt the cold mud beneath her seep through her clothes and into her hair. 

“Well, that was certainly an entrance to behold, Rose Petal.” came Coco’s voice as her boots appeared in Ruby’s view. The leader of team RWBY looked up in surprise, an embarrassed smirk appearing across her face as she found the leader of CVFY looking down at her. Ruby threw herself to the side, taking Coco’s outstretched hand as she got up.

“Thanks.” Ruby said, wiping thick layers of muck off the back of her legs as she looked around. She noticed Yang, Blake and Velvet laughing close by, while Yatsu and Fox just watched in amusement. Coco chuckled, wiping mud off her hand through her black jeans.

“It must run in the family.” Coco joked, pointing to Yang over her shoulder. “Your sister landed 60 foot high in the tree. Velvet had to get her down.”

Ruby hummed, wiping her muddy hands clean on the bark beside her. “Sounds like Yang.” 

“There’s a patrol incoming!” Fox spoke quickly, stepping back into a bush and crouching down. “Hide, quickly!”

Ruby and Coco crossed glances before swiftly bolting into the trees. The crimsonette grabbed the end of her cape and pulled it to her chest as she settled into the branches, her eyes glued to the path where they’d been seconds ago as two White Fang appeared from the undergrowth. A smirk appeared on Coco’s face.

“Just what we needed.” she whispered, catching Ruby’s attention. 

Ruby opened her mouth to ask what she meant, but was beaten to it as Fox and Velvet pounced from the bushes, hitting both of the Faunus in the back of the head and sending them to the ground immediately. Ruby’s mouth fell open in slight disbelief as Coco hopped down from the tree they’d been hiding in.

“Talk about killing two birds with one stone,” Blake mumbled as everyone formed around the two unconscious White Fang members. Yang grinned.

“Actually, I think that one’s a wolf.”

Ruby rolled her eyes and watched as Velvet pulled the cloaks and masks off both soldiers before tossing them to the side. Yatsu crouched down beside his partner, handing her a looped bundle of rope, “Here. This should hold them.”

“So, why are we kidnapping two White Fang?” Ruby asked, standing beside Coco as she held out the uniforms Velvet had just taken. 

“For our plan.”

Ruby frowned. “And the plan is…?”

“Blake and Velvet are going to go undercover so that we can get in.” she explained briefly, looking up to face Blake and Yang nearby. “And they’re taking Yang in.”

“Why me?!” Yang protested. 

Fox smirked, folding his arms across his chest and turning to stare emptily at the brute.

“Because you were the first to get here.” he said smugly. Yang huffed.

“I’m offended.”

“It’ll make us look better.” Velvet said, pulling the cloak over her clothes and smoothing it out. “And you hit harder.”

“The plan is to use Yang to knock out the front guards.” Yatsu explained as he finished pulling leaves and branches over the unconscious bodies of the White Fang guards. “Once they’ve been dealt with, we can follow you in.”

“And after that?” Ruby asked.

“We make it up as we go.” Coco replied, pushing her glasses up on her nose again. Ruby bit her lip in nerves, watching as Blake took the second White Fang uniform from Velvet without any form of hesitation. They were judging this all based on chance? Ruby thought team CFVY of all teams would have had a solid plan. What if it didn’t work, or it just led to all seven of them being captured and used for ransom or leverage against Beacon? 

Coco quickly caught onto Ruby’s growing anxiety about their plan, facing the younger girl and smiling slightly. “Hey, we aren’t leaving without Weiss.”

“Damn right we’re not!” Yang piped up, smashing her gauntlets together with sparks “She ain’t dropping out of team RWBY so easily!”

Ruby frowned deeply at Yang’s comment, folding her arms. “We might be too late.”

“We don’t know that just yet.” Velvet piped up, fixing her hair beneath her hood. She moved to gently brush Ruby’s shoulder, a gentle, reassuring smile on her face. She placed her hand in the middle of the rose’s back, her calming aura mixing with Ruby’s stiff one. “Relax, Ruby. Whatever happens, we’ll be right there with you. You won’t be facing this one alone.”

“Sorry to interrupt you, but-” Blake said, flicking through one of the scrolls that had been on the White Fang. “These guys were only meant to be on a five minute patrol. We need to hurry.”

“Let’s get this show on the road, ladies and gentlemen.” Coco hummed. Yatsu lifted his sword from the ground and swung it around onto his back, while Fox simply nodded. Ruby collected herself, nodding alongside the blind huntsman.

“Let’s go get our friend back.”


	9. Breaking Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The darkness suddenly disappeared as a white flash filled Ruby’s eyes, the sudden change making her eyes water. She blinked the water out, squinting as she faced their next opponents. A few White Fang Lieutenants were dotted around, sitting on old machines and conveyor belts with weapons the size of Yatsuhashi. In the middle, almost welcoming them, stood a single pink and brown haired girl.
> 
> And in the back…
> 
> Ruby’s mouth dried up as she met eyes with Weiss, her partner dressed in a white shirt and black suit pants. Her hair was down, which covered some of the bandages that covered every part of her skin except for her face. Her eyes held an unspoken fury as she stared silently.
> 
> “Weiss..?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *bursts from grave of school work* 
> 
> HI-
> 
> So sorry for such the delay in this chapter! A lot- and trust me when I say a LOT- has happened both physically and emotionally the last few weeks that stopped me and my editors from looking over the next few chapters.
> 
> I will say that once CHAPTER 10 is out, there will be an extended break where I will go over the first two Arcs of the story to try and fix some inconsistencies in them. Nothing overly major will be changed per say, just a few changes on the next few arcs of the story. Always improving, right?
> 
> ANYHOW, please enjoy this (painfully, horrifically late) chapter of Dust Queen <3 Reviews are very appreciated!~

Yang massaged her jaw where Yatsuhashi had punched her, the bruise throbbing while Blake and Velvet crouched in the bushes just in front of her. She’d been instructed to not let her aura heal it because she had to make Blake and Velvet look believable, but gods did it hurt…

“Your teammate can pack one hell of a mean punch,” Yang grumbled quietly, the impact on her chin slowly slowly darkening. Yatsu had been very hesitant to hit Yang without her aura active despite her insisting several times, telling him that she’d been hit by a giant hydraulic robot before and lived. If anything, that seemed to make him even more nervous. In the end, it had been Velvet who’d convinced him to hit her, and  _ man  _ had it been a hit. Yang was jealous.

“There, look.” Blake whispered to Velvet, motioning towards another White Fang duo that were approaching the main entrance. They waved to the two guards by the door, before stepping inside the abandoned building. Velvet’s rabbit ears pointed in that direction.

“I didn’t hear a password or anything,” Velvet said, looking back to Yang and then to Blake, “Think we should go?”

“Yeah.” Blake responded, fastening the Grimm mask over her eyes with a click. She crouched before Yang, holding out some braided rope in front of her. “Your hands.”

Yang did as she was ordered, turning around and putting her hands together behind her back. As she felt Blake wrap the thick, tan rope around her wrists loosely, she grinned, “Jee Kitkat, if you were into bondage you shoulda just told me.”

She was met with a solid hit to the side of the head, “Shut up, Yang.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Yang teased, hearing Blake sigh hard behind her. Velvet was chuckling nearby, a faint blush beneath the mask on her face at Yang’s antics. Yang winked at her. “Let’s get this show on the road, ladies.”

“Coco?” Velvet whispered, pressing a well hidden com in her rabbit ear, “We’re going in, you ready?”

_ “Ready as we can be. Good look, Velv’, _ ” Came the reply. 

“Remember, Yang, make it look realistic,” Blake whispered from behind Yang, faintly holding the ends of the rope loose so Yang could escape when she needed to. Yang nodded.

The trio finally emerged from the bushes, with Velvet leading Yang towards the main door. Almost immediately, the two guards at the door noticed them and pointed their rifles towards them, startled by the sudden appearance of the three figures. Yang began to wriggle in Blake’s grasp, grunting and growling as she faked her attempt to break free.

“ _ Let me go _ , you disgusting animals!” She roared, grinding her teeth together as she jerked her body around. “I’ll kill you all! Release me and see how strong I really am!” Blake smirked at the acting in front of her, before clearing her throat and growing serious.

“Silence yourself, human! Or I’ll make sure to personally mount you on my wall as a rug!” Blake roared back over the blonde brute in her hands. Velvet straightened herself as they finally reached the door, both grunts looking at Yang like she was some form of wild animal. Blake kicked the back of Yang’s knee, prompting her to fall to the floor with a growl.

“Animals! Every one of you!” She spat, wincing as Blake knotted her fingers in her hair and tugged her chin up to face the white fang guards in front of her, earning a pained hiss from Yang at the motion. Blake lightened her grip upon feeling the hint of pain that wavered through Yang’s aura.

“Jeez, a wild one you got there,” one of the grunts commented, lifting his rifle to aim at Yang’s neck lazily. Yang spat at him, to which he chuckled, “Damn, she’s got some balls.”

“You’re telling us,” Velvet commented, cradling her ribs and fake-wincing as she gripped too hard, “She got some good hits in before we got her down.”

“Do you need to see the healer?” The second guard asked, keeping his distance from Yang as she growled at them. Blake shook her head, forcing Yang back down again.

“I said be  _ silent _ !” Blake threatened with another light tug, “We’re fine. Did anything change while we were gone?”

The one pointing a rifle at Yang laughed, moving his weapon to settle on his shoulder, “Not really. That Schnee girl is still kicking, though. The guys should be back from Vacuo soon with that mind control semblance too. The Schnee’s downfall is near.”

Blake and Velvet crossed glances. A mind control semblance? 

“What mind control semblance?” Velvet asked, before smiling awkwardly, “Ah, sorry. I only got here in the last few days. I’m actually supposed to be a technician.”

The guard waved her off, “Don’t worry, we hardly know anything either. Apparently they’re going to try and control the Schnee we got, turn her against her own family or something weird like that.” He stopped to think for a second, looking to the second guard behind him. “Think they were doing some power enhancing experiments or something? I dunno, but the bitch didn’t shut up for  _ hours _ . I thought I’d never sleep.”

Yang froze in her struggles, also processing what she had been hearing. The air around the faunus grew hot as the brawler’s semblance began to flicker to life, “Schnee…?  _ You’re  _ the sick bastards who kidnapped her?!” 

“The one and only sweetheart,” He crouched down onto one knee, meeting Yang’s furious, red gaze, “Maybe Roman will let you see her before you turn into one of those creatures.”

Blake bristled, the fur on her ears standing on end as she listened to the man laugh in front of her. Yang’s fists balled behind her and she tugged, a sign she wanted to be let go as her hair began to catch fire. Blake happily let go of the rope around Yang’s wrists, giving Yang free reign to take out the soldiers when she was ready. The blonde flexed her hands, fully activating her semblance in a bright flash and putting all her strength from Yatsu’s punch into her fists.

“You  _ ASSHOLES _ !” Yang screamed, tearing forward and driving her fist into the closest guards face. She felt a satisfying crunch under her knuckles as she broke his nose, before swinging again to ensure the man was out cold for a  _ long  _ time. He didn’t move after the second hit, the white mask on his face smashed into pieces and on the ground around his head.

The second grunt let out a yell of surprise, lifting his gun to shoot at Yang in defense. Blake appeared before him, swiftly batting the gun out of the way with her arm and kicking him in the ribs with a powerful kick. The man flew back, the attack launching him into the side of one of the nearby trucks. He grunted and crumbles to the floor as he succumbed to the pain shocking his body. Blake kicked him in the side of the head, knocking him into unconsciousness.

Yang stood back up, kicking the grunt by her feet in fury, “ _ That’s _ for what you did to Weiss, you sick freaks.”

“You’re clear,” Blake said into the comm in her ear, pulling the White Fang off her face and tossing it to the ground in disgust. She ground her heel into it, shattering the cheap plastic with a harsh snap.

“Why do you think they want a mind control semblance for Weiss?” Yang asked the two faunus as the others jumped from their hiding positions. Velvet took her own mask off, carefully pulling her ears from the slots in the cape’s hood. “To mess with her father?”

“Maybe,” Velvet said, finally freeing her long brown rabbit ears and massaging the base of them where the coat had been clinging uncomfortably to them, “If the White Fang gets their hands on a semblance like that, they’ll have a lot of power. They could get anyone on their side.”

Blake helped Yang as she pushed the unconscious bodies of the guards beneath one of the dust trucks, hiding them from plain sight, “We can let Glynda know once we get back.”

“If we’re allowed back,” Yang pitched in, wiping off the blood on her knuckles onto the side of the truck. “Oz seemed pretty serious about the expelling thing.” 

Neither of the faunus got a chance to respond as the second half of the team appeared. Coco led them, followed by Ruby, Fox and Yatsuhashi. The giant had to squat awkwardly behind one of the trucks to keep from prying eyes. 

“Good work, girls,” Coco commented, looking at the doorless entry that led into the main building. The main lobby seemed empty, so they had a moment to collect themselves. “What did you learn?”

“We know Weiss is alive,” Velvet said, not missing how relief seemed to light up in Ruby’s eyes, “At least, they said she was.”

“Is that everything?”

“No,” Blake said, “They’re trying to find a mind controlling semblance to use on her. They also mentioned experimenting.” Sad amber eyes flickered to Ruby as she stiffened, her mind flashing back to the video Ozpin had shown them the night before. Tears formed in Ruby’s eyes as the disturbing images came to the front of her mind again.

Ruby’s grip tightened on Crescent Rose, and she swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat. Weiss was alive. She was alive. It was almost like a weight had been lifted from Ruby’s shoulders, only to be replaced with doubts as other ideas crawled from the depths of her mind. Could they trust these White Fang to be telling the truth? They were only guards after all. Who knew if their information was accurate? 

“We need to hurry then. Fox, can you pick up on Weiss’ aura at all?” Coco asked, looking at her blind partner. The man nodded at Myrtenaster that sat lonely on Ruby’s hip.

“I can, thanks to her weapon,” He took a deep breath, ‘looking’ around as he followed invisible aura trails only his semblance could see. His head fell to the ground, a deep frown settling on his face. “She’s here, but she’s a few levels below us. It’s so faint, I can barely see it.”

Ruby suddenly pushed past Coco, bumping her shoulder as she moved into the refinery. Coco’s eyes widened behind her sunglasses, but she quickly followed, looking back to the shocked others, “Come on. We’re following her lead.”

The leader of team RWBY armed Crescent Rose, a clip full of paralysing dust loading into the chamber as she pressed further into the domain of the White Fang. She could hear the others following her, Coco close behind as she tried to discover a way down to where they were holding Weiss.

“It’s spooky in here,” Yang whispered.

Ruby hummed in agreement, looking to her faunus teammate as Blake’s ears swiveled around. Her eyes were wide as she listened, her vision much clearer than any of the others. Ruby’s own hearing wasn’t amazing, but even still, she could hear a faint murmuring of voices echoing down the halls.

The slow, taunting drip of water nearby put Ruby on edge, the sound almost filling her mind. In a way, it was tranquil and relaxing, but it also revealed just how silent this area was. Any loud moves and the White Fang would be on them like wolves on rabbits-

A dull clatter almost made Ruby leap out of her skin, her eyes finally readjusted to the darker interior. A mouse jumped in front of her, sending a plastic petrol can rolling across the floor. She heard Velvet sigh loudly behind her, feeling the panic rolling off her aura as she calmed back down.

“Definitely spooky,” the rabbit faunus mumbled.

Ruby frowned, looking around in the dimly lit room. It was empty save for an old reception desk with a decorative, half broken marble wall behind it. There were heavy wooden dust crates stacked near the reception desk, all stamped with the SDC logo. There had to be a map of the layout somewhere.

“What’s the plan?” Coco asked quietly, crouched beside Ruby as the group snuck in, “We need to find a way down.”

Ruby quickly hopped over the desk when she reached it, frowning at the mess of papers scattered over the floor, “There has to be a fire escape map, or a technician map-  _ something _ , somewhere here.” She started carefully pulling open filing drawers, many of the documents gone, likely taken when the refinery shut down. “Maybe it’ll have a route to the lower levels.”

Coco pointed to Velvet, “Velv, come here.”

The rabbit appeared without a second thought, eyes glancing over the documents Ruby was rummaging through in interest, “What can I do?”

“You’re a technician,” Coco started, “Do you know where they would keep a technician map?” 

The girl hummed in thought, “Not specifically. I do know where blueprints  _ could  _ be, though.”

“Where?” Ruby asked, perhaps a little too eagerly judging from Velvet’s taken aback expression. The faunus sat back on her haunches, pulling her scroll off her back.

“Usually they’re kept in a filing cabinet, but because this was a Schnee Dust Company building,” she was typing something into her scroll while she spoke, a triumphant smile on her face as she pulled up a webpage and held it up for the two leaders to look at, “I should be able to find the original blueprints on their servers somewhere.”

Ruby’s eyes widened in slight surprise at the sight. She didn’t know Velvet was a hacker-

“Oh  _ shit _ !” Ruby heard a voice hiss.

_ “Hey!” _

Ruby perked her head over the receptionist desk in surprise, only for Yang to push it down as she vaulted over the desk, “Get down!”

A barrage of bullets flew above them, splintering the wood as it skimmed off the desks surface. Ruby squealed in surprise, pressing her back against the wood in surprise as she readjusted herself for a fight. Fox had also jumped over the reception desk, while Yatsu and Blake hid behind pillars that supported the second floor.

“Where did they come from?!” Coco called over the gunfire.

“They just appeared out of nowhere!” Yang called back, loading non-lethal dust into Ember Celica. Ruby’s eyes fell to Yang’s leg where her aura was actively knitting together a bullet graze, guilt pooling in her chest.

Maybe this really was just a suicide mission.

“There!” Velvet called, just as the first wave of gunfire ended. Both Yang and Coco popped up, unloading their weapons into the enemies they were being attacked by. Ruby looked up as the rabbit faunus scooted closer, holding out her scroll for Ruby to take. 

Ruby took the device in her hand, finding a picture of a blueprint on the screen. There were two more levels beneath them, a storage level and a laboratory level. Ruby’s eyes narrowed, zooming in on the entrances down. Coco dropped back into cover with a gasp, her gatling gun smoking as a shot ricocheted off the wood where she’d been standing a second earlier.

“Yikes, that was close.”

Ruby ignored her, zooming into the image of the main lobby where they were. There was a staircase behind the wall that led down to the storage floor. Ruby looked around her. There wouldn’t be cover if they were to leave the reception desk to go around, they’d be shredded by bullets. 

“Ruby- we need to move!” Yang cried, changing to Ember Celica’s shotgun mode. 

“Working on it!” called Ruby, lifting her head back over the desk to get a better overview of what was going on. The White Fang had pooled in from either side of them, closing them in in a semi-circle. She didn’t notice the strange formation in her blind panic, ducking back down under the desk as a shotgun blast flew above her. She gulped.

Ruby turned to Coco, handing Velvet’s scroll back as she got ready to cover her friend. They might not be able to go around the wall, but nobody said they couldn’t go  _ through  _ it.

“Coco, destroy the wall behind us! I’ll cover you.” Ruby ordered, whipping Crescent Rose over the quickly deteriorating reception desk and taking aim. Yang, Fox and Blake had done a good job taking out some of the White Fang, but more and more seemed to pool from the hallways either side of them and close the little space they had left. Ruby narrowed her eyes, aiming at the first target she could find. There was a crack as she unloaded, electricity surrounding the faunus she’d shot as he fell to the ground, twitching. Almost immediately, two more took his place.

“I like your style,” Coco commented, pressing her back to Ruby’s and unloading Gianduja into the wall as instructed. Thanks to her dust empowering semblance, the wall chipped away quickly, sending pebbles and brick chunks everywhere. Ruby grunted as a bullet hit her in the shoulder, her aura deflecting it. She ducked back down temporarily, holding the sore spot as her aura healed it.

“Ruby, are you okay?!” Velvet asked, having scurried closer to their makeshift cover when Coco started shooting at the wall. Ruby grunted in response, massaging the sore spot with her palm. Whatever damage had been done had already started to heal.

“I’ll be okay,” she said, looking up as Coco finished destroying the wall. Just as the map had said, there was a staircase leading up to the next level that looked long destroyed, as well as one leading down to storage. Ruby’s eyes lit up, and she pulled her cape over the charred mark on her shoulder.

Coco folded her weapon back into it’s handbag form, dusting the white powder off her clothes before falling back into a crouch, “Wall’s down!”

“Let’s go!” Ruby cried, taking a step back from the desk as she unloaded one last round before turning and making a beeline towards the stairs. She could feel Velvet’s aura brushing off her own as she ran, the rabbit faunus holding out on using her own weapon. 

The seven huntsmen dove beneath the stairs for cover, Yatsuhashi and Yang covering them as they raced down the splintering stairs. Blake and Velvet led, their eyes more tuned to the quickly fading light. If the lobby was dark, then this place was pitch black. Ruby could hardly see, her only light being the hot glow coming from the tip of Coco’s gun and Yang’s blonde hair.

However, even in that light, she knew she’d messed up.

The darkness suddenly disappeared as a white flash filled Ruby’s eyes, the sudden change making her eyes water. She blinked the water out, squinting as she faced their next opponents. A few White Fang Lieutenants were dotted around, sitting on old machines and conveyor belts with weapons the size of Yatsuhashi. In the middle, almost welcoming them, stood a single pink and brown haired girl.

And in the back…

Ruby’s mouth dried up as she met eyes with Weiss, her partner dressed in a white shirt and black suit pants. Her hair was down, which covered some of the bandages that covered every part of her skin except for her face. Her eyes held an unspoken fury as she stared silently.

“Weiss..?” Ruby muttered, Yang and Yatsu finally catching up to the main group. Coco and Velvet shifted nervously, eyeing the lieutenants as they packed closer together. Yang pushed her way up until she was beside Ruby, where she immediately tensed up.

“You.” She growled at the small girl. Neo simply waved, looking back as Weiss pushed herself from the wall and walked up beside her. Yang looked across to her teammate, disturbed.

“What the.. Weiss? What are you doing?” Yang asked, voicing everyones thoughts. Weiss didn’t answer, simply looking to Neo as if sharing a silent conversation with her. The mute girl shrugged and gestured ahead.

“I am doing what I’ve always wanted to,” Weiss spoke, her voice hoarse but level and hard. “I’m taking over the Schnee Dust Company with the help of some powerful allies.”

“You hate the White Fang,” Ruby muttered. Blake shuffled closer, leaning into Ruby’s ear.

“She’s probably under control of a mind control semblance,” Blake explained briefly, “That’s not Weiss.”

“I got that much,” Ruby whispered back.

“I don’t like the White Fang, no, but,” Weiss summoned a glyph over her palm, the once faintly glowing blue now a vibrant light, “You can’t argue with results. We both simply want the same outcome. What’s a few weeks with some enemies?”

“Weiss, listen to me,” Ruby took a tentative step forward, folding up Crescent Rose and hooking it onto her back, ignoring the smirk that grew on Neo’s face as she did, “You’re under mind control. This isn’t you.”

Weiss frowned as Ruby got closer, “You’re mistaken, Ruby. This is all of my own will.”

“Weiss, no, this isn’t you,” Ruby said back, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she paced even closer. “You’ve been brainwashed. We can help you. Just trust us.” 

“Ruby…” Yang moved to take a step forward, only for Blake to grab her by the wrist and hold her back, earning a glare back at her raven haired partner, “Blake, what are you-?”

“Something’s not right,” Blake whispered quietly, almost too quiet for Yang to even hear.

“What? What’dya mean?”

“I don’t think that's our Weiss.”

Yang huffed, “She’s right there. How is that  _ not  _ Weiss?”

The faunus frowned, ochre eyes watching their emotionless white haired teammate as Ruby crept closer, “I know, but you saw the video, right? That was  _ yesterday _ , there’s no way Weiss would be this healed that quickly.”

Yang’s eyes widened, looking up to Yatsu and Fox, who seemed like they also understood what Blake was talking about. Fox nodded, using his semblance to speak telepathically to Yang.

_ “Weiss’ aura hasn’t moved since we got here. She’s still a level below us.” _

“Then…” Velvet whispered.

“Weiss, please listen to me. I’m trying to help,” Ruby whimpered, stopping a few steps before Weiss, who was watching her with an air of disinterest. She hadn’t heard Fox’s voice in her moment of stress and anxiety. “I know you’re still in there. Just come with us, we can get you help.”

“No,” Weiss spoke harshly, taking a step closer to Ruby and grasping her shoulder. Ruby frowned, the touch unfamiliar. It was… more masculine then Ruby knew. “I’m not Weiss anymore.”

“ _ RUBY! IT’S A TRAP! _ ” Coco screamed, her voice reaching Ruby like a lightning strike. The illusion shattered like glass, the flying splinters revealing ‘Weiss’ to be a wolf faunus with long, silver hair and a controller gripped tightly in his hand. A rhythmic beeping sounded just above Ruby’s head, catching the youngest’s attention. 

A bomb was strapped to the ceiling.

“Long live the White Fang!”

Ruby dove to the ground as the bomb exploded, sending her body rolling as fire and shrapnel stuck into her back with a scream. Her head hit off a wall from the force of the explosion, sending her into pitch black darkness.

  
  


.

A dull boom shook the chains above Weiss’ head, drawing the heiress out from unconsciousness as her body swayed softly. Her eyesight was blurry and dim, but she could see dust falling from the roof a few inches ahead of her. Confused, Weiss lifted her neck, the motion sending fresh tidal waves of agony coursing through her shoulders. She flinched, abandoning any thought of moving as she let her head fall.

Darkness threatened her vision again, swallowing her sight up whole as she became weightless once more.

.

“Ruby! Ruby, come on, wake up!”

Ruby groaned as a voice called through the blistering darkness, lifting her arms above her head to cover her eyes as she came to. A headache attacked her mind, as well as a faint burning sensation across her back. She could smell burning… something, and whatever that something was smelt foul.

“Ruby!” The voice called again, sounding as if it was on the verge of tears. Ruby groaned in response, lightly tapping the trembling hands shaking her as a sign to stop.

“I’m awake, I’m awake,” she grumbled, dropping her hands from her face and sitting up. Her back felt tight and hot, and she could feel her aura already healing whatever damage had been done. She coughed when she tasted smoke, wiping water from her eyes as she recollected her thoughts. Velvet was watching her, her rabbit ears pinned back in anxiety as Ruby recovered.

“Hey Rose Petal, you with us?” Coco asked from behind, prompting Ruby to glance over her shoulder. Coco’s glasses were cracked, but she still wore them. Her clothes were torn in a few places, but Ruby couldn’t see any cuts. She took a breath, holding the side of her head as her headache died away.

“Yeah, I’m with you,” Ruby confirmed, stumbling clumsily to her feet. She would’ve fallen if Velvet hadn’t caught her, a firm grasp holding her upright as her surroundings stopped spinning. “I’m okay, Velvet.”

“We were worried,” Velvet murmured.

“You were out for a little while,” Coco explained, standing up from the ground and dusting herself off, “We’re lucky to even be alive.”

“What are you talking…” Ruby spun to face Coco, noticing a giant slab of the upper floor had fallen down on top of them. Yang, Blake and Fox were nowhere to be seen, while Yatsuhashi was attempting, and failing, to chip away at the heavy concrete and steel. “Shoot.”

“The bomb destroyed one of the pillars, and the other couldn’t hold the floor,” Velvet explained further, “But Yang, Blake and Fox are alright. They’re trying to reach out for help at Beacon.”

“Then we need to go and get Weiss,” Ruby groaned, wincing as she twisted a tender spot on her back, “We should have enough time before help gets here.”

Coco and Velvet crossed glances, before picking up their weapons that they had laid on the floor. Ruby kicked Crescent Rose up into her grip with a swift foot, frowning at the new scuff and dent marks along its frame. She transformed it back into its compact sniper mode, unloading the clip to see how many bullets she had left.

Velvet walked over towards Yatsu, who was busy trying to find weak points in the concrete. The giant of a man turned around as his smaller partner approached, a warm smile on his face. He crouched down to talk to Velvet, their conversation too quiet for Ruby to pick up. The red reaper watched silently in the background, biting her lip sharply as her throat got tight.

_ “I’m not Weiss anymore.” _

What if they didn’t get Weiss back? What if whatever illusion had played out before them minutes ago was what awaited them further downstairs? A strained breath of air escaped Ruby at the thought. Weiss would be fighting against them, her own family. The way she’d acted in the illusion had been painful, but accurate to Ruby’s worst fears. Ruby gulped, the air hurting her throat as she swallowed.

“You alright, kid?”

She looked up as Coco appeared beside her, holding her suitcase tightly between her fingers. Through her cracked sunglasses, Ruby could see Coco’s concerned gaze. It was demanding, but gently so.

“I will be,” Ruby responded quickly, before moving the heavy steel doors that had been blown off in the explosion out of the way of their descent. She heard Coco sigh, mutter something about being a headstrong idiot before following behind her to help.

Beyond the bent doors looked to be an underground labyrinth of some kind, a metal path that had several different branching exits. Dull white lights shone from either side of the steel, lighting the curved roof up lightly. Thick, heavy cables lined the walls, held tight against them with steel clips and pins, the humming of electricity echoing down the long and empty passage.

“Well, that’s certainly not what I was expecting,” Coco commented, stepping down onto the first metal step that led onto their path.

“I don’t think this is from the war,” Ruby said, her eyes darting around looking for anything that might jump them. Coco nodded ahead of her.

“It might’ve been a bunker once, but nothing like this,” She stopped and turned back to the door she’d passed through, where Velvet was now standing. “You coming?”

“Yatsu and I are going to stay here,” the rabbit faunus replied, her hand resting on the camera box on her hip, “We’ll make sure no more White Fang follow you, and besides, I don’t have any weapons small enough to go with you… and I’m pretty sure Yatsu won’t fit on that rail.”

Coco chuckled, worming a frail smile from Ruby’s lips, “You’re probably right. Be safe, alright? I don’t want to be carrying you out on my back, ya hear?”

Velvet laughed back, “We will, Coco, and you too.”

Without another moment wasted, Velvet disappeared back out of sight, likely going back to her own partner. Coco let out a sigh, before shuffling her gatling gun purse in her hands and moving into a pace. Her boots clicked off the metal with every step.

Ruby jogged to catch up with her, shivers crawling down her spine, “What now?”

“Now,” started the brunette, “We go and find somebody who knows where your partner is. This is a lab, so there's got to be scientists somewhere.”

“Ah,” Ruby muttered, glancing down one of the paths as she passed one. There was a glass cage or something at the end, but the front was shattered, like something had broken out of it. She stopped, looking at the sight further. There were strange claw marks gouged into the metal walls and floor, much smaller than any creature Ruby had seen before.

“Coco?”

The leader of team CFVY stopped and turned around at Ruby’s whisper, her brows furrowing as she noticed Ruby’s locked on stare, “What did you find?”

“I don’t know, but look,” Ruby stepped down the hall, carefully stepping over large chunks of glass as she got closer. Coco appeared around the corner as Ruby reached the first of the claw marks. Whatever had attacked must’ve had claws sharper than an Ursa, judging by how the metal bent and tore around the mark. It was clean, and precise. Ruby didn’t even want to guess what the dark stain beside it was.

“Those look like the claw marks we found before,” Coco commented, walking past Ruby and pressing her hand to one of the larger marks, “The ones we told you about. They had traces of aura on them.”

“Do you think they were attacked by those Grimm?” Ruby questioned, earning her an honest shrug from the older woman behind her.

“I can’t say. Those ‘Grimm’ could’ve come from here for all we know.”

Ruby frowned in surprise, looking over her shoulder to Coco, “Like, Grimm experiments?”

“Maybe. Those guards did say they were doing experiments earlier.”

Ruby’s blood turned to ice. If they were experimenting on Grimm here, what were they doing to Weiss? Panic seized control over Ruby, her heart rate speeding up as thoughts berated her mind. Coco must’ve connected the dots at the same time, the warm colour melting from her cheeks.

“You don’t think..?” Ruby whispered, her voice cracking. Coco shook her head, fixing the glasses on her face to hide her eyes from view.

“We need to stay hopeful. We don’t know…” Coco’s words trailed off as she became silent. Ruby fell quiet in response, straining her hearing. There were footsteps approaching on the metal, and a faint rustling of papers. The two team leaders met eyes, quiet understanding shared between them. 

Whoever was coming was their ticket to Weiss.

Ruby carefully scampered over beside Coco, their presence hidden by a wall. Every footstep grew closer and closer, the sound of heavy feet hitting the metal grit bouncing off the walls. Ruby could hear a voice now, and it was a man by the sound of it.

“This is ridiculous. We’re under attack and I still have to test these gods forsaken experiments,” came a mutter, “You’d think after they kill almost 40 men they’d just leave them be but  _ no _ , it’s all for ‘ _ the name of science _ !’ They’re all criminally insane.”

Ruby frowned, disinterested in the man’s mumblings. Coco held back a frustrated groan, leaning her head back as a shadow appeared before them. Ruby heard the sound of glass being kicked, and opted to pull her hood over her head, flicking off Crescent Rose’s safety with a quick flick of her thumb.

The man finally appeared, donned in a white coat and thick rubber gloves. He was a faunus of some kind, Ruby noted, judging by the markings along his neck and the side of his face. Ruby nodded to Coco, who nodded back.

“Hands up, White Fang!” Coco demanded, transforming Gianduja back into its main form and pressing the barrel to the scientist’s back. The man froze instantly, dropping his clipboard and what looked to be a cattle prod on the floor in a heartbeat.

“P-please, if you’re going to kill me just kill me,” he whimpered, his hands trembling on either side of his head, “I’m as good as dead anyway.”

Ruby felt a pain of pity strike at her heart, but still leveled Crescent Rose to the faunus’ body. She discreetly clicked on safety mode again, “We’re not going to kill you. We just want you to show us where Weiss Schnee is.”

The faunus paused for a second, “Wait, you’re not-”

“Answer her question,” Coco threatened, nudging the man again with her gun. 

“Sh-She’s being held not too far away! But I need to warn you, the other White Fang were coming back with some kind of semblance today. She might not be there anymore,” he explained, his hands falling from the air slightly. Ruby gulped, her nails digging into Crescent Rose. 

“Then you better hurry up and lead us to her,” Coco pushed the man forward, causing him to stagger, “Or else we’ll feed you to whatever made those gashes in the floor there.”

That seemed to scare him, the faunus’ features turning sheet white at the idea, “O-of course. Just follow m-me.”


	10. Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The man flinched, lifting his hand and brushing it against the smooth wall without any hesitation. He stopped halfway down the door, pressing against a concealed pad and revealing a digital screen behind it. He straightened his jacket with trembling hands as a blue glow surrounded his chest and name badge, remaining there for a second before fading away. Ruby listened as the door beeped, followed by what sounded like a locking mechanism starting to unhinge.
> 
> “There. I did what you asked. Now let me go,” he said, meeting Ruby’s glance as she anxiously waited for the door to open. She ignored him.
> 
> “You’re going to wait here.” Coco mumbled, tasing the man and watching as he crumpled to the floor unconscious. Guilt immediately pooled in her stomach, but she told herself that that was what they had been taught to do in this situation, and instead set out on tying him to one of the railing bars behind them.
> 
> Ruby pushed herself into the room when the door pulled back enough for her to squeeze through, squinting as her eyes were met by a blindingly white room. She blinked the blindness from her sight, noticing the hanging figure in the center of it.
> 
> That was the moment Ruby’s world ceased to exist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Chri- uh.. Happy Ne- Good da- uhm, Happy night??
> 
> here's some tasty whiterose yummy it's finally here took long enough right
> 
> fun fact: the whole kidnapping act was only supposed to last 3 chapters! hahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa fun times man
> 
> this whiterose famine is literally starving me somebody send supplies  
> thank you to all my wonderful helpers nef, corrin Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd Avi who doesnt get enough credit because I'm slow and keep forgetting. Please show Avi some love their stuff is juicy good food go read now thanks bye
> 
> see y'all next month zhzh
> 
> edit: i pasted into the wrong text format thingie oops sorry fixed now

The further into the tunnels the scientist led them, the deeper and darker the hole in Ruby’s stomach grew. Every corner that came and went, Ruby expected to be jumped out of nowhere… or to run into…

_ “I’m not Weiss anymore.” _

She shook her head, trying to escape the intrusive thoughts that tainted her vision. Weiss was alive, and this scientist was leading them to her. They weren’t too late. Ruby took a heavy breath, willing the weight and the feeling of pure wrongness to leave her body. She could barely focus like this. 

“How much farther?” Coco asked, earning a frustrated huff from the hostage scientist in front of her.

“Not much, but we have to take the _ long way, _ so the other scientists don’t see us.” he quickly explained. Coco scoffed out a laugh, looking back to Ruby with an impressed smirk.

“He’s clever.”

Ruby hummed in agreement, her silver eyes following newly patched gouges along the surfaces of the facility. They all looked like they’d belonged to the same Grimm, but why they were so far into the tunnels, was yet to be seen. 

“What made those marks on the walls?” Ruby asked quietly, rubbing her knuckles off one of the gouges in the steel railing as she passed it, “They’re not from any Grimm I’ve ever seen...” The sharp edges had been filed down, leaving only an incave from the attack. The faunus let out a tense breath, shaking his head.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know.” he muttered, the air of fear surrounding it not going unnoticed by the two huntresses. Ruby and Coco crossed nervous glances.

“You better not be leading us to any of them.” Coco threatened.

“N-no! I’d rather be shot by you than enter one of their cages!” he stammered. 

Ruby hung onto that thought a little longer. The only time she had ever heard of Grimm being in cages was during the war, when power hungry warlords would set them in arenas to kill people as a sick form of entertainment for their people.

Another knife of terror pricked in Ruby’s heart at the image of Weiss being thrown into one of those arenas, weaponless and hurt. Ruby bit her quivering lip sharply, wincing as copper began to seep onto her tongue. She spat it from her mouth, wiping her tongue discreetly on her sleeve in a weak attempt to rid herself of the foul taste.

A faint humming began to fill the halls as they paced ahead, combined with what looked to be glass displays not too far from where they were walking. Ruby could sense the atmosphere in the tunnel change as they got closer, pure negative emotion crushing down on her very soul and pinning her to her own despair and anxiety. Tears stung Ruby’s eyes at the thought of doing anything anymore, urging her to blink away the salty liquid in confusion, “Gah, w-what is that?”

Beside her, Coco felt the same weight growing on her body, Gianduja slouching in her grip a bit. She grunted uncomfortably, pushing the dead weight of her weapon back into the middle of the struggling scientist’s back. He took a breath and straightened himself.

“One of Torchwick’s experiments.” he explained, leading Ruby and Coco past a tall glass window that displayed a cage. Inside were tall, humanoid figures, covered in thick Grimm ooze that pooled on the floor where it dripped. It looked far more humanoid than any Grimm Ruby had even seen, hunched over on its hands and feet with a thick white layer of armour sprouting around its body. It looked up, sensing the feeling of negativity in the air, hollow red eyes staring straight at Ruby. It opened its mouth and tensed, screaming silently.

“Why can’t we hear it?” Coco asked as the Grimm began to claw its way closer to the glass, its legs limp and unmoving. The scientist cleared his throat, and Ruby shuffled a few feet away from the glass in fear.

“Th-” The man hesitated, looking away from the cage, “He- It’s a special type of Grimm, some twisted hybrid between a Haven breed and an Atlas breed.” he explained.

“Why do you have Grimm like that?” Ruby asked, glad to be leaving the Grimm behind just as it reached out. She could hear its head press up against the glass as she passed the next cage, this one empty.

“We biologically enhance them; give them new abilities, see what inconsistencies we can remove. We make them better for the tournaments.”

Ruby’s stomach fell to the floor. _ Tournaments? _

“You better not have done any of that to Weiss...” Ruby growled. The man stiffened, and Ruby watched as his throat bobbed when he gulped. For a minute, a white fury burned in her chest, her finger tightening on the trigger of Crescent Rose.

“W- We didn’t want to-” he began, before quickly continuing in an attempt to fend for himself, “B-but Torchwick gave us no choice! It was her, or we became one of those Abominations. You have to understand, we all have families,  _ children _ , to feed.”

Ruby grit her teeth together, her trigger finger trembling by her side. Her thumb hovered above the safety lock for a beat, before resting just beside it. Maybe under different circumstances Ruby might’ve felt bad for him, but not anymore. The scientists could’ve called for help, or put up a fight.  _ Weiss  _ had a family too. Suddenly Ruby was starting to understand why she had had such a problem with Blake when she found out.

“There-” the man stopped, nodding to one of the heavy metal doors built flat against the wall a few feet ahead of them. Ruby’s heart plummeted, shoving past the scientist towards the door. She hooked Crescent Rose onto her back and ran, reaching the doors quickly. 

“Weiss?!” Ruby called desperately, looking around the door for a way to open it. There was no call back, no voice back that Ruby longed to hear so desperately. 

Tears stung in Ruby’s silver pools as she whipped back to look at the man, her glare sharper than any knife on Remnant. “ _ Open the door _ .”

The man flinched, lifting his hand and brushing it against the smooth wall without any hesitation. He stopped halfway down the door, pressing against a concealed pad and revealing a digital screen behind it. He straightened his jacket with trembling hands as a blue glow surrounded his chest and name badge, remaining there for a second before fading away. Ruby listened as the door beeped, followed by what sounded like a locking mechanism starting to unhinge.

“There. I did what you asked. Now let me go,” he said, meeting Ruby’s glance as she anxiously waited for the door to open. She ignored him.

“You’re going to wait here.” Coco mumbled, tasing the man and watching as he crumpled to the floor unconscious. Guilt immediately pooled in her stomach, but she told herself that that was what they had been taught to do in this situation, and instead set out on tying him to one of the railing bars behind them.

Ruby pushed herself into the room when the door pulled back enough for her to squeeze through, squinting as her eyes were met by a blindingly white room. She blinked the blindness from her sight, noticing the hanging figure in the center of it.

That was the moment Ruby’s world ceased to exist.

“ _ WEISS _ !” She screeched, rushing over to her motionless, partially naked partner. In the blink of an eye, Ruby unleashed her scythe’s blade and cleaved through the metal chains holding Weiss’ wrists above her head. She fell like a sack of flour, collapsing into Ruby’s outstretched arms with a hard thump. She felt so  _ light _ .

Ruby cradled Weiss gently but securely, reclipping Crescent Rose on her back awkwardly. Ruby’s throat tightened along with her grip, choking on the bulge in her throat as she spoke, “W-Weiss? C-Can you hear me?” She lifted her hand to Weiss’ face, brushing some of her matted bangs from her eyes with trembling fingers. She looked so peaceful, even with dried blood crusted at the corner of her mouth.

“Weiss…” Ruby choked, her voice breaking while she pressed her palm against the smaller girl’s cheek. She was so, so cold to the touch, and her skin was practically translucent. Ruby could see every vein up her neck and around her eyes, like someone had marked her skin with blue tattoos. Ruby clutched her head closer, wiping her own tears from Weiss’ face as she sobbed. “I’m sorry… I’m  _ so  _ sorry…”

She was too late. It was all her fault.

She had promised Weiss she’d be there for her, she was supposed to be her partner, she was supposed to  _ protect  _ her. It was her idea to go to that market, her fault they were followed. Weiss was gone- How was she going to explain this to anyone? She didn’t… Gods,  _ Weiss _ ...

“Ruby, is-” Coco started, noticing the smaller girl on the ground with Weiss clutched close in her arms, “Oh no...” The elder woman hesitated as she realized what she was looking at. She laid her purse down by the door and moved closer, moving around Ruby’s sobbing body to drop down before her. “Oh Ruby, I’m so sorry.”

Silence settled between them for a moment, Ruby hugging Weiss’ body tight to her own warmth as she cried. Coco felt her heart shatter for the young second year. She knew how close the two girls had gotten over the couple years they’d known each other. To lose someone so close- Coco couldn’t even imagine the pain she’d be in if she lost any of her team.

Her brows knotted in sorrow at the sight of Weiss’ pale, broken body. She reached out and held one of Weiss’ wrists, pressing her thumb barely to the vein, hoping to sense something-  _ anything  _ that told her Weiss was still alive. Her eyes widened when she felt a weak thump against her skin, followed by another a few seconds later, “She- she’s alive!”

Ruby looked up, her eyes rimmed red, “W-What?”

Coco kept a firm hold on Weiss’ wrist, confirming that Weiss had a pulse, albeit a scarily faint one, “She’s still with us, but just barely hanging on. We need to get her help,  _ now _ .”

Ruby stared at Coco for another moment, before she looked down at Weiss. She moved her knuckles under her nose, feeling the faint in and out of air on her skin. Her eyes widened. Weiss- They weren’t too late. Not yet. “Then we’re leaving. You’ll have to cover me.” She reached up and undid the clasps holding her cape on her shoulders. She carefully wrapped Weiss in its warmth, before reaching for her scythe and clipping it to her back.

“H-Hold on Weiss-” Ruby whispered, bundling Weiss’ body carefully and standing back up, making sure Weiss was- or at least looked comfortable in her arms. “We’ll get you out of here. You’ll be fine, just stay with me, okay?”

There was no response.

Ruby took a weak breath, nodding to Coco, who went ahead at the signal. The older girl grabbed her purse as she passed it, unfurling the giant weapon as she led Ruby and Weiss back out of Weiss’ cursed cell. Ruby briefly glanced to the slouched faunus that Coco had tied to a pole nearby and frowned slightly. He’d done everything they’d asked; it felt wrong to leave him behind. He was a hostage too, no matter what they did to her partner.

Suddenly, an alarm began to blare, red lights flashing above their heads. Ruby almost jumped out of her skin, realisation hitting her as she finally noticed what looked like an anklet around Weiss’ ankle with a red flashing light. She furrowed her brows, falling gently into a crouch and prying her fingers underneath the flimsy leather. She yanked with all her might, only to let go with a hiss after a few seconds as the fabric cut into her fingers.

“Great, she’s got an electronic tag!” grumbled Coco, looking around frantically as she began to hear the distressed voices of White Fang around them. Ruby’s breath grew quick, looking to Coco for some sort of guidance.

“Then what do we do?”

“We need to get it off her somehow,” Coco answered, “But we can’t stay here. Let’s go, before we’re cornered.”

“Right.” hastily agreed Ruby, rising back onto her feet. How could she have been so stupid? She should’ve known to watch out for something like that! She watched police movies all the time as a kid, and hostages  _ always  _ had some kind of tracker on them. Stupid,  _ stupid _ !

“Ruby, come on!” Coco called again, having reached the end of the hall. Ruby nodded to herself, glancing down to Weiss’ face again before moving to follow after Coco. The feeling of Weiss’ head gently laying against her chest gave her motivation, but fear quickly trailed along with it. She was holding Weiss’ life in her own hands, literally and figuratively. If she didn’t get out, not only was she dying, but she was bringing a leader from another team  _ and _ her best friend with her. She couldn’t afford to be slow. Not when her partner’s life was on the line.

Ruby and Coco ran through several halls, their heavy footsteps clanging off the metal flooring below them. The red lights and blaring were quickly forming a headache in the back of Ruby’s head; her eyes were starting to burn. They passed dozens of glass cages, but neither girl looked inside them, too distracted with trying to escape to care. Ruby could feel Weiss moving ever so slightly in her grasp, sometimes accompanied by quiet breaths or whimpers at the unwelcome movements across her body.

A yell echoed from somewhere behind them, prompting Ruby to quickly glance back to find the owner of said voice. A scientist was pressed back against a railing in fear as a black body pressed itself against the glass from inside a cracked glass cage, too far for Ruby to tell what kind of Grimm it was. The man was frozen stiff, almost in a trance.

“Oof-” Ruby coughed as she bumped into Coco’s back, staggering back a step. 

Coco had stopped still, her weapon poised directly ahead of her. Ruby’s skin pricked as she stepped to look past her. Fury boiled through her veins as Torchwick stared back. “ _ You _ .”

“Hello, Little Red.” said Torchwick, leaning against his cane. Behind him was a small group of White Fang soldiers, each wearing their own expression of smugness and victory. He leaned slightly, noticing Weiss bundled in Ruby’s arms. “I see you’re playing hero again. I think that’s mine, actually. Could I have her back?”

Ruby grit her teeth painfully tight, grinding her heel into the ground as a dark shadow covered her eyes. Coco’s hand moved in front of her, stopping her from advancing if she tried to.

“Roman Torchwick, you are under arrest for murder, theft, kidnapping and experimentation, along with a long list of other offences. Surrender peacefully or I will have to resort to less pleasant means to apprehend you!” Coco threatened, cocking her heavy machine gun in her grasp. Torchwick laughed, looking at his backup before returning his attention to the leader of team CFVY.

“You are in no position to give orders here, little girl.” Roman teased, before nodding to Weiss again, “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be taking my specimen and leaving before the boys in blue get here.”

Ruby held Weiss closer, muttering quietly below her breath, “ _ Do not _ call her a specimen.”

“Or what, Red?” Ruby hesitated as Roman began to laugh, looking to his wrist before removing his cap and bowing slightly. “Now, I must take my leave. Perry, make sure you bring me the Schnee  _ alive _ , or else  _ you _ won’t be.”

The muscled Faunus beside him grunted, lifting a heavy looking gun sword from his back and aiming it at the trio ahead of him. The array of smaller grunts followed suit, pulling out cheap weapons from their sides. Coco tensed, while Ruby carefully set Weiss against one of the railings. She couldn’t leave Coco to fight these guys alone, but she could keep an eye on Weiss too if she supported Coco with ranged attacks. 

She gently left Weiss against the rail, pulling the warm fabric of the cloak to cover the exposed parts of Weiss’ skin. She placed a hand to Weiss’ cheek for a moment, relieved to feel heat seeping back into her skin. “Wait here, okay? I’ll be back in a second. Promise.”

“Again with the promises you can’t keep, Red? I thought you learned your lesson last time.” Torchwick mocked as he melded back into the crowd of faunus,white coat and red hair disappearing from view. Coco bit her lip, loading in a round of her high impact dust as she prepared for the fight. Ruby joined beside her, unfurling Crescent Rose into its sniper mode.

“I’ll take the big guy.” Ruby said, meeting the brute’s piercing gaze.

“I’ll take the rest, then.” Coco said.

There was a heartbeat of stillness before the ambush rushed towards the two huntresses, weapons drawn. All hell broke loose, gunshots and aura blasts being exchanged. Ruby sucked in a nervous breath before unloading paralysing Dust rounds into the oncoming wave, wincing at the sheer amount of noise that attacked her ears.

.

.

Weiss could hear something loud… dreadfully,  _ painfully  _ loud. The piercing noise dragged her from the abyss of her own tormented mind. ‘ _ Stop,’ _ she cringed as her body began to wake up, trying to hold onto the warm darkness that had numbed her body, ‘ _ I don’t want to wake up’ _ . The darkness didn’t listen to her pleas for death, the numbness slipping from her grasp and replaced by the sight of dull, flashing lights around her. She shifted slightly, expecting the painful pulling sensation of her heavy body on her shoulders to return... Except it didn’t, and neither did the tight pressure and pinching around her bruised wrists. Her body was still in a lot of pain, horribly, sickly so, but the pulling sensation was gone. She was on the ground, her skin brushing against something cool and damp beneath her. The stagnant air and coldness of her cell was gone, replaced with a warm comforting feeling around her and… and the scent of  _ roses _ .

The heiress took in a heavy, painful breath, flourishing in the warm, sweet scent of flowers, confused for a moment. She dug the tips of her fingers into the cape that enclosed her body, gripping onto the old fabric as a sense of dull awareness slowly returned. The way the fabric balled in her fingers, and the suffocating warmth that was enough to warm even the icy depths of her soul, felt familiar. She took another breath of rose scented air, holding it inside her lungs as she triple checked that this was real. That all of this was real. There was only one person on Remnant that Weiss knew, who wore such an old, suffocatingly warm, flowery smelling cloak. She tried to speak, finding her throat to be drier than Vacuo’s deserted lands. The word came out in two dry halves, requiring a heavy breath between both of them.

“Ru...by…?”

.

.

Ruby’s heart skipped a beat as a bullet grazed over her shoulder, glancing back to make sure the rogue shot hadn’t hit her vunerable partner in the crossfire. Her head whipped around in panic, just in time to witness Weiss’ pale lips barely moving on her face, her voice inaudible over the racket of the fight around her. For a moment she wasn’t even sure if she saw it, but her eyes stayed on her partner’s previously limp form. They widened as she witnessed Weiss stirring, fingers grasped tightly around Ruby’s cape as she took heavy, laboured breaths that moved her entire frame. Tears jumped to Ruby’s eyes at the sight, suddenly unaware of the giant White Fang Lieutenant behind her. Weiss and Ruby locked eyes for a beat, the younger huntress unaware of the looming threat.

. 

.

Her eyes were open, the world spinning her blurry, dim vision like an ocean, churning her body around on its relentless waves, in its merciless attempt to kill what was left. She weakly gripped her fingers around the worn fabric for some kind of stabilizer, lifting her head in search of the owner of the garment. Her eyes found her not too far away from her, staring down at Weiss like she’d seen a ghost reanimate the dead. Weiss supposed that’s what she must’ve looked like, nothing but a ghost of what she once was. Shame pinned her chest for the moment they locked eyes, hoping that maybe, maybe this wasn’t just another dream. That she wouldn’t wake up back in those chains, waiting to be called on for another match. Then Weiss noticed a tall, overarching shadow growing above her partner, a heavy sword lifted over its head and aimed at her distracted teammate. She tried to move instinctually, but her legs wouldn’t budge, heavy, as if they were made of nothing but lead.  _ Ruby, turn around! _ Weiss screamed desperately in her head, trying to claw her way out of the depths of fear that had claimed her being.  _ Move! _

Panic sunk into Weiss’ heart, a familiar cold numbness bursting across her figure as she finally found what remained of her broken voice. She screamed, louder, and more raw, then she had ever done in her life.

“ _ RUBY _ !”

.

.

For a second, all Ruby saw was blue.

She let out a pained yelp as something sharp tore across her face, dealing the final blow to her aura and tearing her skin with a single slash. She recoiled back, staggering into a nearby railing blindly and pressing a hand to the side of her face. A warm, soupy feeling met her fingertips, collecting on her hand as whatever wound she’d just received bled freely. She hissed, rubbing her eye with the palm of her hand in an attempt to clear her stained vision. She forced her eye open, red tinted vision meeting her. The wound must’ve only just missed her eye, she realised in relief. Any closer and she would’ve gone blind. She gently pressed her fingers to her cheek, finding a painful, deep, long slice cut into her skin. Her own blood fell from it and splattered on the ground, staining her neck and her dress collar.

What had even hit her?

“What the…?” Coco murmured, prompting Ruby to look back to where their opponents were, or had been. Instead of a mini-army facing them with their weapons drawn, a tall wall of thick, crystal blue ice had sprouted out of seemingly nowhere. The metal flooring was torn in half along with one of the displays having shattered into dust. Ruby’s eyes widened, albeit painfully, at the sight. “Is that... Ice?” Coco continued.

Ruby had no words as she tried to figure out what she was looking at, the temporary shock leaving her speechless. That’s when she picked up on the sound of heavy breathing mixed with confused sobs emanating from behind her. Both huntresses turned to look at Weiss, who was staring at the wall of ice with an expression similar to her two companions. Tiny, blue crystals growing on the surface of Weiss’ hands, which were shaking as she tried to hold Ruby’s cloak around her. 

Coco took a nervous step back, glancing across to Ruby in unease, finally noticing the long wound on her face, “Ruby! Are you okay?”

Ruby ignored her, falling to her knees in front of Weiss while the ivory haired girl struggled to comprehend what was going on. Tears were sitting in Weiss’ eyes, her breathing quickening with every breath she took. Puffs of frozen moisture left her lips in a small cloud each time she breathed out; the same type of mist you’d see on a cold winter day.

Ruby reached out to grab a hold of Weiss’ shaking hands, taking her delicate, cold fingers and holding them tightly in Ruby’s warm grip as she shook. Weiss flinched at the touch, a scared whimper escaping her.

“Weiss- Weiss,  _ breathe _ .” Ruby said softly, rubbing her thumbs off the back of her partner’s soft hands. She felt Weiss’ fingertips dig into Ruby’s hand for a moment, followed by something sharp forming beneath Ruby’s fingers. “Weiss?”

“I.. I didn’t-” She croaked before cringing in pain, arms clutching at her ribs. The tears that had been forming in her eyes fell, leaving damp spots on Ruby’s cloak. They landed beside two growing blood stains near her shoulder. Ruby was sure they weren’t there earlier. She frowned worriedly, tightening her grip. 

“Hey- Hey, it’s okay. Can you walk?” Ruby asked, eager to get out of the twisting tunnels of the laboratory before anything else like this happened. She could hear Grimm starting to become restless, throwing themselves into their glass cages, attempting to escape. Ruby hadn’t even checked whether or not the cage that Weiss had smashed held any Grimm inside it. Weiss finally shook her head slowly, gulping down a lump in her throat as she tried to recollect herself. Ruby did the same. “Then I’m going to pick you up, okay?”

Weiss nodded again, whining slightly as Ruby reached beneath her and scooped her form into her arms. She winced at the uncomfortable feeling radiating across her body, before falling limp again and falling against her rescuer’s chest. Her world was spinning again, the black pinholes across her vision threatening to swallow her whole as adrenaline pumped out of her body.

“Ruby… are you... real?” Weiss asked quietly. Ruby frowned slightly in confusion, nodding for Coco to lead the way. The leader of CFVY spared another glance to the wall of ice, before folding up her gun and rushing ahead of Ruby and Weiss in the only remaining route out. Ruby shuffled her hold slightly, before gently moving into a jog behind Coco.

“I... Uh, yeah? Of course I’m real.” answered Ruby, clumsily using her shoulder to wipe a fresh layer of blood from her jaw.  _ Why would she ask that? _ Weiss’ half-closed eyes faintly followed Ruby’s movement, a shaking hand appearing from below Ruby’s cloak to hover by the cut on her partner’s face. She held it there for a moment, cool skin pressed against warm, almost as if she was proving that Ruby was physically there. She brushed her thumb across Ruby’s cheek. Horror flashed across her face as she felt something wet brush against the side of her thumb, pulling her fingers back upon feeling the wetness on their tips and staring at them. She slowly registered the crimson colour on her skin.

“You’re bleeding...” she breathed, her pupils shrinking, “I- ...I hurt you…”

“Huh?” Ruby asked, before noticing Weiss staring at the bloody streak down Ruby’s face and neck. She paled, “Oh! Oh this? No, you didn’t do  _ this _ . I was hit by a, uh, a bullet.”

Weiss’ eyes shrunk again. “I... I  _ hurt  _ you-”

Guilt sunk into Ruby’s stomach as she realised her attempt at lying wasn’t working. “N-no- Well, you didn’t mean to. It was an accident-” Ruby quickly grinned, ignoring the sharp wince and sensation of cracking caked blood on her face, “I’m fine! It doesn’t even hurt.”

Weiss didn’t respond this time, tucking her arm back into the warmth of Ruby’s cloak and staring into space. Ruby bit the back of her lip, looking around her as Coco turned another corner. She could hear glass smashing, followed by long, drawn out howls of Grimm as they escaped their confines.

“We have company!” Ruby heard Coco yell, followed by the sound of her mingun shooting. She heard the piercing screams of Grimm as they died just before Ruby turned the corner, witnessing as they turned to sooty ash. Coco was out of breath, as was Ruby, but they were almost out. Ruby recognised the gouges out of the floor from when they’d first entered the tunnels.

“We’re almost there.” Ruby muttered to Coco as she passed her, leading the way to the end of the hallway. “The entrance was just over here!”

As Ruby spun around the corner, she heard a loud scream to her left. She stepped back, her eyes landing on a Grimm she hadn’t been expecting to see. 

A Nuckleave.

Ruby heard Weiss gasp, drawing Ruby’s glance once more. Weiss watched it with a strange look of familiarity, her entire body stone solid as she took in the sight. Fear pooled in Ruby’s own gut at the strange look, answered by the loud cry of the Nuckleave opposite her.

“Weiss?” Ruby asked. Weiss flinched, but her eyes were still hooked on the Grimm opposite her.

“It’s her.”

Ruby frowned in confusion, looking up as Coco appeared and yelped a colourful word at the sight of the Nuckleave. The Grimm... Was hesitating? It was almost like Weiss and it were in a world of their own.

“It’s who?”

“...Marion.”

“ _ Who _ ?” Ruby repeated, jumping back with a yelp as a fireball launched over the Nuckleaves shoulder and caught fire to one of the electricity circuits beside her. She hissed as sparks erupted, turning her shoulder to protect her injured partner from the blaze. Coco also winced, grabbing Ruby by the shoulder and nodding ahead.

“The exit! Let’s go!” She ordered, pushing Ruby towards the door they’d first entered through. Ruby gulped, turning her back to the Nuckleave and cautiously activating her semblance, pulling Coco in with her and shooting them forward and through the door. Ruby winced, her entire body exhausting instantly at the unaccustomed weight of the other two women. She fell to the floor, rose petals scattering everywhere as she curled herself protectively around Weiss. She cried as she fell against her sore shoulder, sliding to a stop by the feet of Velvet and Yatsuhashi.

“Ruby! Weiss!” Velvet yelped in surprise, crouching down to help her back up. Ruby groaned, carefully sitting back up to check on Weiss again. The heiress had returned to her unconscious state, her face pressed against Ruby’s chest. Panic flashed across Ruby for a moment, prompting her to check Weiss’ pulse below her jaw. A slow, sporadic beat met her fingertips, Ruby sighed in relief.

Yatsuhashi had helped Coco to her feet by the time Ruby recovered, the door they’d only just come through starting to pour Grimm free. Coco and Yatsu took to fighting them off defensively, as Grimm Ruby had never even seen before began to crawl forward, screaming and clawing hungrily at the small group of scared teenagers. Ruby had to fight.

“Velvet, take care of Weiss!” Ruby ordered, gently passing her partner to Velvet, who was crouched beside her. The rabbit faunus nodded, carefully wrapping her arms around the Schnee’s fragile body. Her eyes widened in alarm at the state she was in, her rabbit ears pinning back.

Now that Ruby knew Weiss was in safe hands, she could finally let out all the pent up, raw emotion that had been building up inside her over the last few days. With a gruff sigh, she fully unfurled Crescent Rose from her back, holding it painfully, planning out a route of attack before blasting into the sea of black and bone in a tornado of rose petals. 

For a moment, all she saw was black as she spun her blade, using the motion of her semblende to slice through thick flesh as she raced through the waves of Grimm that fled from the laboratories. She could hear screaming down the halls, joined with the chalky taste of smoke that lined the back of her throat and made it hard to breathe. She finished her sprint, spinning in a circle before kicking up and out of the sea of Grimm, now taking aim with her sniper. She caught a few bigger Beowolves in the head before she hit the ground, landing just in front of Coco and Yatsuhashi. Gods, her shoulder hurt.

“They just keep coming!” Yatsu grumbled, hacking straight through the torso of a Sabyr as it leapt forward. The cat fell in two pieces, laying still for a moment before fading to black.

“Yeah, and if those weird hybrids reach us we’re all done for,” Coco finished, loading in another round of ammunition that she was quickly running out of. Ruby hummed in thought for a second.

“We need to block the door,” she called, spinning her scythe in her grasp as a Ravager flew for her face, severing its wing from its body and sending it straight into Coco’s range of fire.

“Any ideas on how?”

Ruby wasn’t sure. The only way they could really block the door was to bring the ceiling down again, or use some kind of Dust to seal it. The ceiling was already unstable from their previous encounter, Ruby knew that if they did it again the whole first floor would collapse on them. A lightbulb went off in her head, looking back to Weiss as memories of the giant ice wall that separated them from their attackers came to the forefront of her mind. She looked back to Coco, “I might have one. Cover me.”

Coco huffed, readjusting her grip as Ruby sprinted off. “I hope you know what you’re doing, because I don’t know how much ammo I have left for Gianduja.”

Ruby slid to her knees as she got closer to Weiss, her momentum carrying her to Velvet who sat there, holding her. The Faunus looked up as Ruby got near, before glancing down to Weiss again, who was barely even conscious. 

“Weiss? Can you hear me?” Ruby asked quickly, wincing as a fireball from a manticore somewhere blasted over their heads. Weiss’ eyes grew bright for a moment, recognising the sound of Ruby’s voice, before letting her eyes droop down again. She heaved, her chest rattling as she fought through the hot agony coursing through her body. Ruby’s heart shattered watching Weiss writhe, knowing the heiress was probably trying to act much better than she felt. Velvet noticed too.

“She's in bad shape, Ruby, she’s losing a lot of blood. She... She might not...” Velvet fell silent, knowing Ruby could figure out the rest. Ruby placed her knuckles to the side of her partner’s face, starting to notice the wet stained splotches on her own cape that stuck to Weiss’ body.

“She’ll make it- She... She has to-” Ruby said softly.

Ruby looked behind her as Coco and Yatsu were pushed closer, losing space between the sea of Grimm and the collapsed ceiling. Smoke filled at least half of the room now from the fire that raged below them, the heat of the fires making it hard to breathe. They were losing.

“Velvet!” Coco ordered, “I think it’s time for Anesidora.”

“Right!” Velvet responded, handing Weiss back to Ruby as carefully as she could and hopping to her feet. She joined her leader and pulled out her camera box, forming a sleek blue version of Coco’s own weapon in her hands and opening fire on the Grimm. Yatsu charged forward with Fulcrum in his grip, hacking and slashing through any Grimm that the Dust enhanced bullets wouldn’t get though. 

Ruby watched as team CVY worked their magic, while she sat uselessly behind them with her unconscious partner in her hands. The way they worked together seamlessly was amazing, like they’d known each other their whole lives and could predict each other's movements. The way Velvet and Yatsu lined up targets for each other, and how Coco’s semblance tore through weaker Grimm… If they hadn’t been in such a bad predicament, Ruby was positive that she would’ve been foaming in awe; seeing the best team in Beacon work like clockwork was inspiring.

Well, at least if they went down, they went down fighting.

_ “Get away from the ceiling.” _

Ruby jumped as Fox’s voice suddenly echoed through her mind, scrambling to her feet as the heavy slab of concrete from the first floor began to glow black and shift in place. The heavy piece of concrete began to lift into the air like magic, quickly settling back into where it had been before the bomb had been set off. Ruby watched as the concrete fixed itself back into place in wonder, before looking behind where it had been.

Yang, Blake and Fox charged forward, stopping just before Ruby. “Whoa, that’s a lot of Grimm!” Yang commented quickly, cocking Ember Celica and sending two fire Dust propelled shotgun blasts into the blackness. Blake appeared by Ruby’s side, wild amber eyes checking over their team leader, and then down to Weiss.

“Is she..?” Blake asked, too nervous to finish the end of her sentence. Ruby shook her head.

“She’s alive, but she’s hurt really badly.” Ruby said. Yang glanced back down to her sister, and then to Weiss.

“What’s that thing on her ankle?” The blonde asked, turning and sending two more Dust powered shells into the Grimm as they backed off slightly. Ruby had almost forgotten.

“It’s a tracking tag.” Blake explained quickly, standing to swap out for Yang. “Yang, break it off!”

“Right!” Yang fell to one knee, prying her fingers under the thick black plastic and tugging. The material strained for a minute before shattering and falling to the floor in two pieces. She quickly hopped back onto her feet after that, turning to help her partner, “You need to get her out of here, Rubes. Don’t worry, we can cover you.”

Ruby’s mouth opened to object, but instead she jumped as a rough, yet familiar hand plopped on her head. She looked back in surprise to see a tall, raven haired man looking down at her with a mixed look of pride and relief. “ _ Uncle Qrow _ ?!”

“You have no idea what kind of trouble you’re in!” came Glynda’s irritated voice, standing to the other side of Ruby and Blake. Ruby looked up in awe as the vice-headmaster brandished her crop, but she had a look Ruby’s didn’t recognise on her face. The older woman sighed upon seeing the horde of Grimm advancing on her already exhausted students. She pushed her glasses up her nose. “However, we will discuss the consequences to your actions later. Get outside, there’s an airship waiting for you.”

“And miss out on this? No way, I have to take my temper out on something, plus, I still gotta win against Qrow in  _ something _ .” Yang hollered as Qrow and Glynda stepped forward. Qrow pulled his own sword from his back with a laugh, a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his scruffy face. His heavy buster sword suddenly started to shift, transforming into a scythe not too dissimilar from Ruby’s.

“Alright Firecracker. You’re on.” He looked back down to Ruby and nodded to Weiss in her grasp. “Just get her outta here, kid.”

Ruby took a breath, looking down to the pale, bloody form of her partner and back up to her newfound family. “Okay. You better come back.” She pivoted on her heel. Rose petals swirled around her feet as she charged her semblance, before bursting off with a rush of speed that splintered the floor beneath her. Ruby’s world became colours, using what she remembered of the entrance to lead herself out. As she passed through the lobby, she noticed several of Ironwood’s machines standing around with several more White Fang members arrested. The outside was no different, with Faunus sitting on their knees in chains in rows alongside the stolen Dust trucks.

It wasn’t hard to miss the giant, white airship that had landed in the clearing just beside the building, blue banners waving in the engine gusts as it sat in wait. Ruby stopped her semblance, sliding on her feet along the muddy ground. She stopped just by the main doors, clutching Weiss tight to her chest. The ivory haired woman in her hands groaned faintly, the colour that had briefly returned to her face quickly fading due to the sheer amount of blood she was losing.

“Help!” Ruby called into the airship, causing the doors to open. On the other side was someone Ruby had heard Weiss mention several times before, and who she could only assume to be Winter Schnee. She really looked like an older version of Weiss, with sharper eyes and a battle hardened look in them. Despite that, Ruby could feel the emotion hit her aura like a train when she stepped out, sapphire blue eyes locked on the form of her younger sister.

Winter looked up to Ruby suddenly, urging the leader of RWBY to straighten her sore back a bit. “Ruby Rose?”

Ruby frowned in surprise. “You know my na-”

“Get in.” Winter ordered, hooking her hand under Ruby’s shoulder and pulling her up. Ruby winced at the pain that accompanied the gesture, but quickly scrambled into the side of the ship without a second word.


	11. Tick... Tock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What did they do to my sister?” Winter asked, her voice cracking, fully drawing Ruby’s attention back to her. She shook her head.
> 
> “I- I don’t know.”
> 
> “Then who is responsible?” Her voice was a growl, as if she was threatening Torchwick’s very existence before even knowing it was him.
> 
> “Roman” Ruby mumbled. “Torchwick. That girl was there too.” Ruby was too. She let Weiss get caught in the first place...
> 
> “Neopolitan.” Winter snarled, looking up from what seemed to be Weiss’ vitals on her scroll. Her fingers were white with the viscous force of her grip, her striking blue eyes locked on her own sword she’d rested not too far away. “Bastards- I’ll have them executed by my own hand if it’s the last thing I do-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoo, boy that month passed quick-
> 
> hi, how's everyone? This chapter ends out ACT 2, which means it's hitaus time again. I got a lot of writing to catch up on, as well as some continuity errors to fix in the first few chapters. I won't set a finite date on when this'll return, but the older chapters will be updates quite a bit, so perhaps reading back over might be in your interest?
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me through all this. We're not done for a long time yet, but this's got so much more attention than I ever dreamed and I'm so thankful. I don't even know how to thank you all.
> 
> I'll be back soon! If you want to still see art posts and random nonsense my tumblr is xx-whiterose! See you all in a couple of months kiddos, stay safe <3

“Put her down there, quickly.”

Ruby didn’t hesitate, carefully laying Weiss’ frail form down onto what looked like a stretcher layered with a soft mattress and white sheets. She felt fear clawing at her throat as she tenderly laid Weiss’ arms beside her, the heiress limp and unresponsive to Ruby’s touch. She kept a tight grip on one of her frail hands, hoping,  _ willing _ , that her partner would be strong enough to pull through this. The mere sight of Weiss' body: bloody, bruised, pale and not moving in front of her, brought back that stubborn lump in her throat again, a shivering breath sneaking its way into Ruby’s lungs.

Winter returned a moment later, her sword gone and a thick black first aid box in her hands. The older woman looked down at her sister with a mixed look that Ruby could only faintly make out. She recognised the fear in her eyes, as she’d been staring at the same emotion in her own reflection a few hours earlier. The specialist carefully undid the cape clasps holding Ruby’s cape around Weiss’ neck, tugging the bloody fabric from under her and tossing it away. 

“Will... she be okay?” Ruby asked hesitantly, her voice small while she watched Winter snap an oxygen mask around Weiss’ small face. Winter didn’t respond, instead she handed Ruby a bundle of heavy gauze and pointed to Weiss’ bleeding chest.

“Put pressure on her wounds, make sure to cover them as much as you can and don’t let go unless I tell you to.”

Ruby let go of Weiss’ limp hand with a small sigh and moved, pressing on the freely open scabs with a tender but firm touch. She could feel the rattled rise and fall of Weiss’ chest beneath the palms of her hands. Tears glistened in Ruby’s eyes. She couldn’t lose Weiss, so she focused on doing her job instead.

“Move to the side,” Winter ordered, peeling off the back of a cotton patch bandage. Ruby shuffled awkwardly to her left, feeling Winter’s aura brush off her own as she leaned in to cover the biggest area of scar tissue with a cotton bandage. Her aura was closed off, cold. “Stay with me, Weiss. I promise I won’t let you die.”

Weiss shifted faintly to the sound of her sister’s voice. Ruby wouldn’t even have noticed if she wasn’t still holding the clump of gauze to her chest.

Winter stood back, mindlessly wiping blood her hands off onto her pristine white coat as she paced to the other side of the bed. Ruby watched her wipe something from her eyes, a frown settling on her face, before looking back down to Weiss’ face. That’s when she noticed her own hands were smeared in blood- wait, so was her dress. She hadn’t even noticed it until now-

“What did they do to my sister?” Winter asked, her voice cracking, fully drawing Ruby’s attention back to her. She shook her head.

“I- I don’t know.”

“Then who is responsible?” Her voice was a growl, as if she was threatening Torchwick’s very existence before even knowing it was him.

“Roman” Ruby mumbled. “Torchwick. That girl was there too.” Ruby was too. She let Weiss get caught in the first place...

“Neopolitan.” Winter snarled, looking up from what seemed to be Weiss’ vitals on her scroll. Her fingers were white with the viscous force of her grip, her striking blue eyes locked on her own sword she’d rested not too far away. “ _ Bastards- _ I’ll have them executed by my own hand if it’s the last thing I do-”

“They’re gone.” Ruby said, looking down to Weiss as her breathing started to grow shallower, but stabler. Ruby reached down for her cape and laid it over Weiss’ bruised, shivering body like a blanket. She used the back of her hand to wipe tears from her own eyes. “They escaped when the Grimm broke free.”

“Then I’ll have them hunted like pigs-” Winter growled, watching as Ruby tenderly brushed her knuckles off Weiss’ soft cheek. She took a heavy breath. “Weiss needs emergency assistance. Where is the rest of your team?”

“Still inside.” Ruby gestured to the crumbling, burning laboratory. “Fighting Grimm.”

“Why are you not providing aid?” Winter prodded.

Ruby laughed weakly, holding her pained shoulder close to her body. Yang and Blake could handle themselves in a situation like this, especially with the help of CFVY, Qrow, and Glynda. Ruby would only be a burden. She couldn’t even hold Crescent Rose anymore, and her right eye was starting to swell from the bloody slice beneath it. “I’d only hold them back. I can’t even hold my weapon right now.”

Winter’s eyes flickered to Ruby’s shoulder, where her hand was gently massaging some of the pain away. She had some aura left, but not nearly enough to heal whatever damage she had done. She could only keep the pain at bay. Winter hummed, stepping closer and kneeling to take a closer look at Ruby’s shoulder. Ruby flushed, a surprised look in her eyes as Winter explored her shoulder, her touch strangely familiar to Weiss’. She squeezed-

“ _ OW- _ ” Ruby yelped, tugging herself away from Winter as white hot agony shot through her, “Ow-ow-ow-owww.”

“You’ve torn your labrum.” Winter explained flatly.

“Is that bad?” Ruby asked, holding her own shoulder protectively. Winter stood back up, nodding to the watching pilot before turning back to Ruby. The reaper heard the ship’s engines start up.

“You might require further surgery to fix it.” She said, straightening her posture and wrapping her hands behind her back as she turned and headed back to the airship’s cockpit. “I recommend you avoid moving your shoulder, lest you make it worse. There’s a sling in the first aid equipment. Use it.” 

“Wait, what about my team?” Ruby asked as the airship got louder, the engines getting louder as they powered up fully, “We’re just gonna… leave them behind?

“Are any of your other team members injured?” Winter asked.

Ruby frowned, “Not-” 

“Then we are leaving. We don’t have time to wait for them.” Her voice was stern, demanding. Winter looked back at Weiss, a concerned look slipping past her guarded expression for only a moment. “Weiss is in a critical condition, and  _ you  _ are incapable of battle. The longer we wait, the less time we have to save her.”

Ruby’s heart pained with guil. She looked back at Weiss, watching the frail rise and fall of her chest, the faint fogging of the oxygen mask over her face as Weiss’ parted, bloody lips took in and let out breath. Her ghostly skin was a blinding contrast to her usual flawless complexion against the bright red of her own blood. Winter was right, they didn’t have enough time to wait. Ruby had already caused enough damage. She took a tight breath, reaching for her muddy scroll in her pocket. “I’ll- I’ll let them know.”

“Good.” Winter said, nodding to the open first aid kit as she turned back to the cockpit. “Call if anything happens to Weiss, Miss Rose.”

Ruby glanced to the first aid box, finally becoming aware of the painful grinding sensation that accompanied every move of her shoulder. She winced, reaching for the sling and awkwardly unwrapping it with one hand. A few minutes of fiddling around with her free hand and using her teeth for leverage, and she had the sling on and around her neck.

Ruby let out a sigh of frustration as she moved her injured arm into the sling and relaxed it, the deep throbbing in her shoulder growing more and more prominent as adrenaline slowly fizzled out of her. Here she was, leader of an unauthorized mission, injured, out of battle with a… ripped… shoulder thing, while her team and the team she dragged into this tried to fix her mess.

Another deep sigh left her as she sat down beside Weiss, eyes lingering on her unresponsive partner for a moment before looking down to the scroll in her hand. She was shaking, the background picture of Weiss and her at Ruby’s birthday staring back at her. Ruby was grinning widely, arm wrapped around Weiss’ neck as she pulled her into a hug. Weiss was smiling back shyly, eyes watching Ruby.

_ Drip. Drip. _

Ruby took a shuddering breath, resting her eyes in her hand as tears fell from them. This wasn’t fair, none of this was. Weiss didn’t deserve to be here, dying. Her team didn’t deserve to be here, suffering for her mistakes, team CFVY didn’t deserve to be here, no doubt getting in trouble for  _ Ruby’s _ mistakes. They should’ve waited, they should’ve just done as they were told and left it to the huntsmen-

What if Glynda and Qrow hadn’t gotten there in time?

Ruby took a deep breath, pinching the tears from her eyes. Okay Ruby. Just- breathe. You can get through this. You’ve gotten over worse.

“What do I do, Weiss?” she hummed, looking up to her partner and grabbing her hand hoping for a response, but none came. “Normally you yell at me or- or call me a dunce until I come up with a plan on what to do- but.. but now you’re.. And it’s all my fault.” 

She stopped, taking a breath to collect her scattered thoughts.

_ “Again with the promises you can’t keep, Red? I thought you learned your lesson last time.” _

Tears fell freely down Ruby’s face as she sobbed, guilt crushing her beneath its heavy weight. 

.

.

.

BIG SIS <3 (ONLINE)

COOKIE MONSTER 16:53

‘Weiss’ big sis is bringing us to Vale Regional Hospital. She said we dont have time to wait for you. Sorry ;(‘

BIG SIS <3 16:59

‘No worriez sis! Make sure your gf is safe’

COOKIE MONSTER 18:52

‘Weiss is in emergency surgery. I’m in Room 653. Will give details when you get here’

BIG SIS <3 19:36

‘Just leaving Beacon. Glynda isn’t happy with us. Be there soon’

.

.

.

Yang jogged through the main doors of Vale’s Regional Hospital as they opened up, Blake tailing close behind her. The two of them were covered in caked mud and stank of smoke, their hair frazzled from their long hours of fighting Grimm hordes. Several people parted out of the way at the sight of the two clearly battle worn huntresses, murmuring quietly as they left. They got some suspicious glances from other patients too, clearly surprised at the sudden appearance of dirty and scuffed huntresses. A child gasping in awe and pulled at their parents arm, whispering ‘Look, look!’ to which Blake waved shyly to the young girl.   
  


“Hi, uh-” Yang took a breath, steadying her breathing as she reached the reception desk. “Ruby Rose? She said she was in room 65-something?”

The receptionist looked just as surprised as anyone else who’d seen them, her nose scrunching slightly. She put on a pair of glasses, “Are you a guardian?”

“We’re her teammates. We’re huntresses-in-training from Beacon.” Yang explained hurriedly, her fingers turning white as she gripped the edge of the counter with them. “I’m Ruby's sister. Her father is in Patch.”

“And her mother?”

“Dead.”

“Oh, I apologise.” The blonde girl looked back to her screen, before lifting up a tablet beside her. It had Ruby’s credentials on it, as well as a whole bunch of other medical stuff Yang wasn’t interested in, like her blood type and her aura strength. The receptionist handed out a digital pen, “Considering you're her only family present at the moment, I’ll need you to sign this form, confirming you are her sister. Payment has been covered by the Atlesian army, so you need not worry about the second line.”

Yang took the pen and began scribbling down quickly. Blake looked past her blonde partner. “The army covered it?”

The receptionist looked down behind the chestnut desk, searching a screen for an answer to Blake’s question. “Yes, it says here that ‘ _ all funds for the hospitalization and care of Miss W. Schnee and Miss R. Rose will be covered by the Atlesian Army _ ’. Was this a mistake?”

“No! No, not at all. Just a little surprising.” Blake replied as Yang handed the tablet back. 

The blonde woman took the device back, checking the signature. Then, she turned back to the monitor beside her. “Ruby Rose… She’s in Room 653. Physiotherapy ward, sixth floor.”

Yang and Blake crossed glances.

“Thank you.” Yang muttered, turning and heading towards the nearest elevator. 

“She was hurt and she never told us-” Yang grumbled as she walked through the halls. “Why wouldn’t she tell us?”

“Her priority was Weiss.” Blake said. “She wasn’t thinking straight.”

“I don’t think Ruby  _ can  _ think straight.” Yang joked in an attempt to lighten the suffocating atmosphere between them, only earning a disapproving glare from her partner. “Too soon, gotcha.” Blake’s soft laugh made her heart tighten, her own smile blooming on her face.

She glanced back at her scroll, to the chat log between her and her sister. “Do you think she’s okay?”

“Weiss?”

“Yeah.”

Blake’s ears folded down, a worried look in her eyes. “I don’t know...” she said with a shake of her head. “She didn’t look like she was... and Ruby’s cloak....”

“I know what you mean.” Yang sighed, looking up as they finally found an elevator “I thought I’d break her when I had to break that anklet off. She felt really light, y’know, lighter than usual. There was no aura there either.” She pressed the call button to call the elevator.

“Knowing the White Fang, she probably hasn’t eaten anything all week- Her aura’s probably been trying to save her from starvation, not exterior attacks.” Blake’s ears fell back under her bow, “I’m surprised they didn’t kill her straight away.”

“Maybe the Fang changed their ways? From murderers to… scientists?” Yang tried, stepping into the elevator as it opened.

“The White Fang were never this cruel. They were never murderers. Ada- Their  _ leader  _ wasn’t- back when I was in the White Fang, they never would’ve done  _ this _ . This isn’t the White Fang I grew up around. They used to be kind, peaceful.” Blake continued, the sadness in her voice clawing a painful wound across Yang’s heart. “They’re not all bad people, they’re just.. confused…”

“Well,” Yang cooed before she curled an arm around her feline partner, a warm smile on her face, “It doesn’t matter who you were, Blake, as long as you keep moving forward. I don’t care that you were a,” she lowered her voice, “I don’t care that you were one of them, because what matters is who you’ve become. If we were judged on our past, I’m pretty sure I’d be wanted in, like, 2 towns.”

“I can’t run from it forever.” Blake huffed. Yang squeezed her tighter, before patting her head right between Blake’s feline ears.

“Well, whenever it does catch up,  _ if  _ it does ever catch up, I’ll be right there to help. Promise.”

Blake stared at Yang in surprise for a long moment, a frail purr sounding from the depths of her throat as Yang’s fingers brushed off the fabric touching her ears. Yang’s eyes widened suddenly at the new sound, a hearty laugh escaping her as Blake turned red. The faunus scrambled back and out of Yang’s embrace, face flushed. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to do that! It just happens sometimes!”

“Uh-huh. If you had an ear fetish you should’ve just told me.” Yang teased, resting her hands on her hips. Blake’s face went a shade darker. “I’m only teasing, but I like your purr, Blakey. You should do it more.” Yang said, sticking 

out her tongue as the doors to the sixth floor opened. Blake flushed, her bow twitching again.

The hall was a purple theme, with lavender painted walls and the word ‘PHYSIOTHERAPY’ plastered to the wall in big bold letters. There were a few empty beds lining the halls, with hand rails and arrows painted on the floor leading to separate areas. There were a few nurses dotted around, some helping patients walk and others alone.

“Cheery.” Yang said, looking at the door numbers as they passed them. 

“Yeah” Blake said back, looking around curiously. A young Faunus wobbled past on crutches, balancing weakly on one leg. He smiled at Blake as she let him pass, his own similar feline ears pointing up. Blake smiled back, trying to ignore the SDC brand on his forearm. 

“650.. 652.. Here it is.” Yang said, stopping by one of the many uniform white doors. She pressed her hand to it, knocking a few times before pushing the door open. “Ruby?”

.

.

  
  


Ruby looked up from her bed as Yang pushed the door open, a nervous look in her eyes. Ruby forced a smile at her, “Heya, Yang.”

She sat up slowly, wincing at the uncomfortable stiffness in her shoulder as she moved. The numbing block the doctors had placed under it slipped down slightly, much to Ruby’s frustration. She grumbled, reaching around to try and push it up, “Stupid- magic-”

“Here, let me,” Yang said, jogging to Ruby’s bedside. Ruby huffed slightly as Yang moved the squishy foam block back behind Ruby’s shoulder, allowing the leader to lean back into her bed again. Yang leaned back slightly in a laugh once the block was secure, “Jeez, you look rough. What happened? Your face...”

“Uh, I tore something in my shoulder when the roof collapsed.” Ruby explained, scratching the back of her head with her good arm. “I kinda made it worse by ignoring it, but I’m fine. I already had surgery to fix it so- oh! And the doctors said my face will probably scar a little but at least Weiss and I-”

“Wait, wait, wait,  _ wait _ .” Yang waved her arms, overwhelmed, “ _ You were in surgery?! _ ” Yang bellowed, loud.

“Yang, we’re in a hospital!” Blake said sharply. “Lower your voice.”

“Sorry!” Yang glanced back at Blake, before returning to her sister. “ _ You were in surgery _ ?” she whispered harshly. Ruby giggled, catching a piece of loose hair and tucking it behind her ear.

“Yeah, but I’m okay! I was in and out in an hour. ...They gave me aura boosters and some really,  _ really  _ strong painkillers. Like, I’m pretty sure I’m kinda high off them,  _ oh _ , and this block! It’s like magic, it makes the pain go away just by lying against it. The doctors said I should be able to start training again in two weeks if everything heals okay.”

“And your face?”

Ruby laughed nervously, reaching up to brush the cotton patch plastered tight against her face with the back of her hand, “Only a few stitches. I’m  _ okay  _ sis, promise.”

Yang’s bottom lip quivered slightly before she pounced on Ruby, wrapping her arms around Ruby’s head and pulling it into her chest as she let out a pent up sigh, “Thank the gods, it’s nothing too serious. When Glynda told us you we’re in hospital I-”

“Yang-” Ruby protested, trying to wriggle free from her sister's painfully crushing hug. “The shoulder- it still hurts-”

Yang let go immediately, bolting back with her arms in the air as if she'd just scalded her sister. “Oh, shit, sorry!”

Ruby's eyes widened as a gasp broke from her. “You swore!”

Blake laughed quietly at the two siblings' antics, seated on the opposite side of the bed. It was good to see Ruby’s bubbly spirit back. She really was the spirit of the team, and without her playful innocence team RWBY just felt empty, a husk of it’s past self. Her smile faltered, the missing member of their team nagging at the front of Blake's mind like a thorn. "Is there any news on...?"

Ruby's giggles died out suddenly, like a flame in water. Her eyes widened briefly before growing dark and foggy, the playful spark that had been there only seconds before, snuffed out. She shook her head silently, before adding: "Her... her heart had stopped by the time we landed…”

Horror crossed both of her teammates' faces, while Ruby just stared down at her hands balling the sheets in her grip. “I... Winter told me they managed to help her before... but…” Ruby sighed, grinding the palm of her hand into her tired eyes with a sniff. “I didn’t even get to see her. I’ve been stuck in this room since we got here. I-I don’t even know if Weiss managed to...” A shaky breath. “Pull through.”

After a long pause, Yang shuffled closer to her sister, slightly perturbed at the defeat that laced Ruby’s words. Yang was hoping that the last few days hadn’t completely shattered her younger sister’s spirit. “Hey, she's in good hands.” Yang managed to croak out, unsure how to even respond. “She’ll be okay… I hope.”

“Are you okay, Ruby?” Blake asked. “I can’t even imagine how this must feel for you.”

Ruby huffed quietly. “I’m tired, and sore.” She took a breath, straightening herself again. “But I’m fine.”

Ruby was lying again. She hadn’t felt this bad since her mother had died. When she had found out that her mom was gone and not returning, she’d locked herself in her room in Patch and cried for days straight. Yang had been forced to sleep in the spare bedroom, and only ever allowed herself into Ruby’s room to deliver some dinner, which was left uneaten for days. It was only when Yang returned on the 6th day, to Ruby almost skin and bones, clad in the same pajamas as the day the news came, that Yang finally did manage to snap her out of it. It took weeks for Ruby to get used to the newly present emptiness in their home, the lack of sweet smelling baked goods and the quietness that haunted the now lifeless halls. She knew that Weiss wasn’t dead, or at least, she wasn’t the last time Winter had given her updates. 

But that was before Weiss went in to get some of the Dust in her system removed. The lack of updates scared Ruby, but what was worse than the unknown, was the terrifying, crushing guilt that claimed Ruby’s soul like long thorned tendrils. She hadn’t understood much of what the doctors had said when they jumped out of the airship with Weiss, but what she could hear was enough for her to think on in the crippling, lonely silence of her hospital room.

Chronic Dust poisoning.

Ruby had looked up the term on her scroll once she’d woken up from her own surgery. From what she managed to gather, it was a relatively rare occurrence. Usually, people who were hurt by Dust in some way either died on the spot, or were rushed fast enough to a hospital to only suffer mild poisoning. Chronic poisoning meant one thing. If Weiss did survive her injuries, and made a recovery, she’d still only have a few months at most to live before the Dust in her blood killed her. There was supposedly no cure, only the ability to slow it down. 

But, if Roman Torchwick had poisoned Weiss like that, he had to know the cure. Maybe, at least, one of the scientists that were taking part in it did. Ruby swore on her own life, she would find a way to cure Weiss. If she didn’t... 

Ruby let out a raggedy breath, chasing away the dark, threatening thoughts from her mind. She met Yang’s eyes, trying to shake off the pure worry that filled them. “What happened after we left?”

"In short?" Yang asked as she leaned back, getting a nod from Ruby. “Well, we kicked some Grimm butt, but the fire ended up going out of control so we had to retreat out of there. Some of the Grimm escaped, I think, so they're sending out some huntsmen to round them up and kill them. Pretty sure Ironwood’s robots rounded up the scientists.”

“What about team CFVY? And Uncle Qrow?” Ruby asked.

“We all went back to Beacon to be lectured by Glynda and Ozpin.” said Blake. “Our teams have been banned from doing missions for the foreseeable future, and your uncle wasn't even invited to our rescue party. He just showed up according to Glynda.”

Ruby frowned, throwing her arm in the air uselessly. “Aw man…”

“But hey, Professor Ozpin congratulated us on a semi- successful mission, and we weren’t expelled!... Yet...” Yang said, a smile on her face. “Maybe we can convince old Oz to lessen our sentence.”

“Maybe, but I doubt we'll be going on missions for a long time…” Blake nodded to Ruby's shoulder. “Half of our team is out of commission, for who knows how long.”

“And the White Fang?” Ruby pitched again.

“Arrested, mostly.” Yang sat back in her chair, arms folded comfortably over her chest. "Any who escaped unscathed, at least. Ironwood’s bots did that. I'm pretty sure I broke that one guy's face." 

“The police are going to search the remains of the fire after it's fully out.” Blake finished. “Maybe they can find out what kind of experiments they were carrying out at the facility.”

“Did… Were they doing anything to Weiss?” Yang asked tentatively. Ruby frowned.

“The scientist who led us to Weiss mentioned something...” Ruby narrowed her eyes, the images of blue ice shielding them from the army of White Fang that they were facing coming to her mind again. “And there was… this strange thing that happened, but… I don’t know. It could’ve been anything.”

“What happened?” Yang prodded, curious. Ruby sat back into her bed, a long sigh escaping her.

“Honestly? I don’t even know. Coco was there, she can probably explain it better than I can.” Ruby practically sank into the pillow as she leaned back. “Weiss- She did... something… Actually, I don’t even know if it was  _ her _ . It could’ve just been a well timed accident… but there was no Dust even near us so how could-”

Yang glanced to Blake, who shuffled closer. “You’re not making a lot of sense, Ruby.”

“Yea, sis. You’re being kinda cryptic.” Yang added. Ruby chuckled awkwardly, rubbing at her neck where a phantom pain resided. 

“It just sounds crazy when I say it out loud.” Ruby groaned as she shifted against her sore shoulder, “But I don’t actually know what happened.”

“What do you think happened?” Yang asked, concerned.

“Well-”

A knock interrupted Ruby’s voice, shushing her as the door to her room was pushed open. Yang and Blake tensed instinctually, their muscles bunching beneath their clothes as the urge to protect surged in them. On the other side was a very tired looking Winter Schnee, a look of surprise on her face as she was met with two clearly startled huntresses.

“Oh, Winter!” Ruby greeted, sitting up a little too quickly. She hissed in surprise as hot pain shot through her, her hand rushing to hold her shoulder. “Ow.”

“Good to see you are already in recovery, Miss Rose,” Winter said, closing the door behind her quietly. She still hadn’t changed out of her uniform, of which the once clear white and blue fabric was now soaked with dried blood. 

“You’re Weiss’ sister?” Yang asked, relaxing slightly into her seat. Winter looked to her, and then to Blake. Yang tensed again as her eyes flickered to Blake’s bow.

“That is correct. I’m assuming you are the missing members of team RWBY?” Winter asked, locking her hands behind her back and standing up straight. Ruby straightened herself too, albeit clumsily.

“Yang, Blake, this is Winter.” She replied, introducing the two. “She’s Weiss’ big sister.”

“Pleasure to meet you both.” Winter nodded her head curtly, her eyes growing clouded. “I would’ve preferred it to be under better circumstances, however.”

“Any news on Weiss?” Blake asked, speaking her team’s thoughts aloud. Winter sighed in response, her shoulders sagging as her straight stance crumpled. No matter how tough she tried to appear, there were still some things that broke through her emotional barrier.

“She is... stable.” Winter started, watching as relief coursed through the room. “However, she is still gravely injured. There’s large amounts of purified Dust in her bloodstream, and if not treated quickly, she won’t last to see the Vytal Festival next year.”

The relief in the room died. Ruby felt her chest tighten. She’d heard correctly then. Weiss  _ did  _ have Dust poisoning. “Is.. is there any way to treat it?”

Winter hesitated, pressing her lips tightly together. Yang and Blake watched her with a faint look of desperation, and fear. They couldn’t lose a member of their team, not after all that they’d gone through to save her.

“She’s… We found a large collection of samples in the remains of the fire. We are currently testing each substance with Weiss’ blood to see if there is any that can nullify the effects of their… experimenting.” Winter took a breath, her shoulders repositioning and straightening themselves again. “I don’t believe Torchwick and his associates would have done such horrendous experiments without a cure, especially considering Miss Rose and Miss Adele’s testimonies.”

“Well, if there’s no cure, can’t you, I don’t know, reverse engineer one or something?” Yang asked.

“No, purified Dust is very volatile.” Winter explained. “Any incorrect treatment inside or outside Weiss’ body could make it ignite. The blood samples we collected were done so using professional machinery.”

“What do you mean volatile?” Yang questioned.

“It’d activate.” Blake said, eyes downcast. “It’d kill Weiss within a couple of seconds…”

“Affirmative.” Winter sighed. “Now, I’m afraid I must leave for official business. I’ll return in a few days to check on my sister. ...She’s not expected to wake for a long time, however….”

“Okay.” Ruby said, crestfallen. She sank further back into her pillow. “We’ll see you soon, then?”

“Yes, I hope so.” Winter forced a half smile, reaching back for the door. “I wish you a good recovery, Miss Rose.”

“Thank you.” Ruby said quietly as the door to the hospital room closed. The silence lingered for an uncomfortable minute. That minute turned to more minutes, then to half an hour.

“Now what..?” Yang asked after a long while, wringing her hands together as everyone was left with their own thoughts.

“Now, we wait.” Blake responded, taking a long breath. “Wait, and hope for the best.”

Hope? Ruby would have laughed. She was running low on hope.

“Ruby?” Yang’s voice broke through her wall of thoughts. She looked up.

“Sorry, I was just thinking...” She squeezed her eyes tightly, taking a breath and refreshing herself with fake energy from her reserve before letting it go with a reluctant sigh. She didn’t know if she could face herself and be proud of what she’d done after all of this, considering how she’d been to blame for allowing Weiss to be caught in the first place, but, she had to be happy- or at least appear so. If not for her, for the rest of her team. “It’s okay, we’ll get through this! We’ve gotten through worse, right?”

“That’s the spirit.” Blake hummed, the glow restored to Yang and her eyes. Ruby grinned, swallowing the lump in her throat. She couldn’t cry in front of her team. That’s not what a good leader did.

“Yeah, uh, hey.” Ruby placed a hand on her stomach. “I’m hungry. Did you guys pass a cafeteria on your way up? I’m running off energy bars right now.”

“I think so.” Yang said, standing from her seat and stretching with a grunt. “Let’s go get some grub. You’re not you when you're hungry, and  _ man  _ am I starving!”

“Do you need any help, Ruby?” Blake asked as Ruby awkwardly untangled herself from her sheets. The redhead looked up guiltily, testing her feet as she stood back onto them.

“Nope! I’m good, just gotta take  _ this  _ with me.” She said, reaching out to grab her IV pole with her free hand. “Let’s get going.”

**Author's Note:**

> Special thank you to my editors  NefariousDreams  and  Corrin! 


End file.
